One shots: Neji and Tenten
by I-Heart-Hatake-Kakashi
Summary: 100 Nejiten oneshots. Chapter 100 - Happy Birthday Neji!
1. July 3rd

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter summary**: A gift.

* * *

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

**JULY 3RD**

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

"_Oh Nejiiii." A familiar voice seductively called out to the Hyuga prodigy._

_Opening his eyes, Neji found himself face to face with, none other than his sparing partner. She was sitting in front of him; staring at him, with those deep chocolate tinted eyes. She unconsciously twirled her hair, as she sat watching him from a few feet away. _

_When had she let her hair down, he wondered? It wasn't often that anyone saw the weapons mistress without her trademarked buns. Neji couldn't help but be amazed at how beautiful she looked._

'_Beautiful?' Neji couldn't believe he just thought that._

"_Nejiiii." The girl called out again, once more catching the boy's attention._

_This time she was no longer sitting across from him. He wasn't sure when, but at some point she had started crawling over to the Hyuga prodigy. Neji couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked so… HOT! _

"_Nejiiii." Came the seductive call again._

"_Hn." He grunted; trying to ignore the growing flutter in the pit of his stomach._

_Tenten had reached the white eyed genius, but she didn't stop there. Slowly she began to crawl up into his lap until their faces were mere inches apart. He could feel her warm breath on his face. Slowly, and painfully, they began moving closer and closer together; their lips mere centimeters apart. Closer and closer they moved until…_

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

'BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP'

Neji searched for his alarm, ready to destroy the diabolical machine that had woken him at the best part of the dream. He'd tear it to pieces, boil it, throw it off a high cliff, cover it in honey and toss it into a bear-filled cave.

That had been the plan; but when he reached towards the nightstand to hit (and he literally meant HIT) the snooze button, his fist came into contact with something much softer than he'd expected.

"OW!" Yelled a very familiar voice to the prodigy's right.

Neji opened his eyes and turned towards the direction of the voice. There, crouching next to his bed and rubbing her shoulder, was the one and only weapons mistress. The woman he had only moments earlier been dreaming about.

"Neji! Are you always this violent in the morning?" Tenten whispered, as she moved to turn off the alarm. "What am I asking?" She absentmindedly continued; shaking her head incredulously.

"Tenten…" Neji finally spoke.

"If that's your idea of hitting the off button, I can't imagine how many clocks you go through." Tenten continued; having not heard him. "Well, at least now I know what to get you for Christmas."

"Tenten…" Neji said again.

"Although, why would I give you something you'd just end up breaking?" Tenten said to herself.

"Tenten…" he repeated himself, again.

"Argh, you're so hard to shop for!" She fumed.

"TENTEN!" Neji shouted, loud enough for her to hear, but not loud enough to wake the rest of the sleeping Hyuga's; it was 3 am, after all.

"What?" Tenten asked, hearing him for the first time.

"What are you doing here?" Neji asked.

"Well…" Tenten looked down at her hands, as she played with her fingers nervously.

"Well? ..." Neji repeated.

"I just wanted …" Tenten hesitated.

"Wanted? …" Neji repeated, growing a little irritated with Tenten's hesitance.

He had never known her to be the shy type. She had always been outspoken and opinionated. When he had fought against Hinata, during the first chunnin exams, Tenten had not held back her anger, and had given Neji a thorough beating the next day as they sparred; all the while telling him how wrong it was to hold a grudge against a sweet and innocent girl like Hinata. Neji knew her as a girl who always fought for what she believed in, and never shied away from any confrontation. Yet there she was, acting so timid, so scared, so… unlike herself. He almost wondered if he were still dreaming.

"Well?" Neji demanded.

"I wanted to be the first one to wish you a happy birthday." Tenten hurriedly whispered. (1)

He stared at her for a moment. She had spoken too fast for Neji to understand, but after a few seconds his genius mind pieced it together.

"Thank you." He replied.

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

**THE END**

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

**(1)** originally this was all written as one big word, but for some reason DELETES anything that is too long and anything that's a separated by periods instead of spaces (like my username)... if by chance you see a missing word or sentence in another chapter, please let me know so i can fix it thanks ;) (i know it's weird to ask you to SEE something that's NOT THERE, but you know what i mean! ;p)


	2. Friday the 13th

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter summary**: Written in Tenten's voice; about the unluckiest day of all.

**A/N**: This chapter wasn't one of my best, but it was a pretty good first attempt at first-person narrative. Chapter __ turned out a lot better though. Still, I don't think I like writing in first person. It's easier to write because you don't really have to work at describing things as much, but… at the same time it has it's own challenges.

* * *

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

**Friday the 13th**

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

Some people might call me superstitious, but that's not true; I'm just really cautious. Bad things happen on Friday the 13th; you take my word for it. That's why today, on July, Friday the 13th, I've decided… I'm not leaving my house. AT ALL!

Now, normally I wake up very early each morning. I get dressed, do my hair, and then I head out to the training grounds to meet with my team. But today, I've decided, I'm going to stay in bed all day.

Well… at least that was the plan...

'_BANG BANG BANG!'_ A heavy pounding at my front door wakes me up.

Three guesses who that is.

Of course I know who that is, and there is NO WAY I am going to get up and answer it.

"TENTEN!" The booming voice of one VERY pissed off Hyuga yells from the other side of my door.

Normally, Neji really isn't one to yell. In fact, he rarely ever speaks; period. But when he's mad… well… all bets are off.

And the one thing that makes Hyuga Neji mad? … Interrupting his training.

Since I am his training partner, my NOT being there this morning, well that means *_I_* am interrupting his training.

"OPEN UP TENTEN, OR I'LL KNOCK DOWN THE DOOR!" Neji yells from the other side of the door.

I wouldn't put it past him either. My poor defenseless door, that never did anything to anyone; nonetheless, he's knock it down without a second thought… he's already done it at least a half a dozen times before.

A part of me is tempted to open the door. Any other day, I probably would have; an angry Hyuga is a dangerous Hyuga. But not today. Today I won't open the door; I absolutely refuse! If he really wants me, he's just going to have to come in here himself!

Perhaps if I ignore him, maybe he'll just go away.

"Tsk yeah right." That would never happen.

Of course, there is always the option of hiding, but… with the Byakugan, that would be kind of stupid.

I know! I can pretend I'm sick.

A quick trip to the bathroom, a look in the mirror, a splash of water on my face to look like sweat, and messy hair, and presto, I'm ready!

Quickly, I put my plan into action as I ready myself for the performance of a lifetime. Cautiously, I make my way toward the door; careful to act as sick as possible, just in case he was using his blood-limit to see me from the other side.

"Good 'cough' morning 'cough' Neji." I moan, as I open the door; hoping he'll buy it.

"Cut the act, Tenten, I can tell you're not sick." Neji glares at me with his Byakugan activated.

"Fine." I huff. "So, to what do I owe this honor?"

"You're late." He growls, as he deactivates his Byakugan.

"Neji. I'm not coming." I reply. Believe me, it was quite a challenge too. Normally I wouldn't go against Neji like that, but… Friday the 13th. Even my fear of Neji's wrath isn't as bad as going outside on a Friday the 13th.

"And why, exactly, not?" Neji asks; through clenched teeth. I can tell he is really getting mad now.

"It's a bad day for me." I reply.

"What?" Neji intensifies his glare.

"Umm… it's a bad day… it's…" I search my mind for a good excuse. "It's my time of the month." I quickly lie.

"…" Neji stood there; frozen in place. All the rage and anger I'd seen in his eyes just moment's earlier, completely vanished.

"Yeah… so… I can't train today," I begin pushing him out the door, "Bad cramps and all, but I'll be better tomorrow. See you." I close the door behind me; waiting to hear the footsteps, that eventually come, walk away from my apartment.

For a moment, I can't believe that worked. But it did! And I'm ecstatic! I'm going to have to remember that one for next time I don't feel like getting pounded into the ground.

Well, now, with Neji taken care of, all I have to do is make it through the day without leaving my small apartment. I think I can manage that…

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

**THE END**

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**


	3. Ultimatum

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter summary**: Tenten and Neji have been secretly dating for the past four years. Now Tenten has had enough, she wants everyone to know. But will Neji be willing to meet her ultimatum?

* * *

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
ULTIMATUM  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

"Tenten?" The blond kunoichi turned to face her brunette friend.

"Yeah?" Tenten looked up from the plate of dango she'd been playing with for the past few minutes. Across from her sat her two bubbly friends, Ino and Sakura; beside her, sat her much quieter friend, Hinata. "What is it Ino?" She asked.

"We were just wondering…" Ino hesitantly began. "Don't get me wrong, we like that you've been spending more time with us these last few days and all…" The blond turned to her two other friends for some help.

"Yeah." Sakura agreed. "But we were just wondering…" The medic-nin nervously paused.

"Is everything okay between you and Neji-nii-san?" Hinata finally asked for the three girls.

"Of course everything's fine." Tenten replied, looking back down at her plate; all the while trying to avoid the gaze of her younger friends.

The truth was, Tenten and Neji weren't okay. The two sparring partners had been dating for the past four years, but no one knew about it. Part of the reason for this was that Neji just wasn't overly emotional, and as a result he didn't really demonstrate his feelings in public. So as far as everyone else was concerned, they were nothing more than teammates. It was because the villagers only ever saw Tenten training with Neji, that she gained the reputation of being tomboyish and completely uninterested in boys. But of course that wasn't at all the case. It just so happened that she was only interested in one boy. The best boy in the village as far as Tenten was concerned; Hyuga Neji. Fortunately he was interested in her as well. And when they were alone, just the two of them, he never failed to tell her as much; and to show her as much. When they were alone, he was very romantic and very affectionate. But that was exactly the problem…

When things first started out, Tenten was only too happy to keep it private. After all, she didn't want all his fan girls chasing after her; not that she couldn't handle them, of course. But just the same, she figured it would be best for their relationship, to keep it between just the two of them; at least in the beginning.

The problem was that it wasn't the beginning anymore, and they still hadn't told anyone. Tenten had begun to wonder if maybe it was her. Maybe he was ashamed of her. After all, she had no name, no family, no blood-limit; nothing in the least to offer him.

After a while, she began to think that maybe he was just having fun with her until someone better came along.

Well she certainly wasn't going to have that.

As much as she loved Neji, Tenten refused to be used; and she told him so. She told him that either he made a public declaration that they were together, or he could go train by himself.

Well, of course the prideful Hyuga would not be blackmailed. It wasn't that he didn't love Tenten, he just wasn't the "public declaration" type. And so that's how it began. For the past three days, Tenten had been skipping training and Neji had been stuck on his own.

"So you're sure things with you and Neji are okay?" Ino asked again.

"Yeah, why would you ask?" Tenten wondered.

"It's just…you haven't been training with him lately." Sakura replied.

"I haven't really felt like it." Tenten shrugged. It wasn't exactly a lie, it just wasn't the whole story, but that would come out soon enough.

"And you're sure you haven't gotten into an argument with him?" Ino insisted.

"No." Tenten repeated; shaking her head for emphasis. "Why? Has he said anything?" Tenten turned to Hinata, wondering if perhaps Neji had told his cousin something about them.

"N-no. It's just that Neji-nii-san has been awfully moody lately." Hinata timidly replied.

"And that's different….?" Tenten playfully smirked.

"Well, more than usual." Hinata clarified.

"Okay, enough about Neji." Ino enthusiastically got up; having apparently gotten fed up with the conversation about the stoic prodigy that had rejected her years earlier. "I have an idea." She turned to Tenten, with a wicked little glint in her eyes.

"Oh no. I don't like when you have ideas." Tenten replied nervously.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Sakura asked, though she was fairly certain she knew exactly what the blond girl was scheming.

"Well…" Ino began. "Since you have all this free time on your hands now…" Ino smiled evilly at Tenten. "We should get you a boyfriend!" She firmly declared.

"YEAH!" Sakura readily agreed. Hinata merely smiled, as Tenten nervously stared b back and forth between the three girls.

"I don't think so." Tenten replied, frantically waving her hands in the air.

"Oh come on Tenny." Ino pouted. "You spend all that time training with Neji; you never have any fun."

"She's right Tenten." Sakura nodded her head vigorously. "If you don't get yourself a boyfriend soon, people will begin to talk."

"I don't care what people think." Tenten indigently replied. It was true; despite the fact that she had demanded Neji tell the world that they were together, it wasn't because she actually wanted people to know, or because she needed some outward approval. It was because she wanted to know how Neji actually felt, that she had demanded he let others know.

"Fine, but come on." Ino begged, "You're so pretty, it would be a shame if you ended up single because you spent so much time training with that cold hearted bastard." The blond girl reasoned; obviously still convinced Neji was completely unemotional (a thought for which Tenten could hardly blame the girl).

"HEY!" Tenten shouted; a little too quickly. "That's Hinata's cousin you're talking about." She replied after everyone gave her a funny look.

"Oh, sorry Hinata." Ino apologized to the blue-haired girl.

"It's okay." Hinata meekly replied.

"Besides," Tenten continued, "I enjoy training."

"At least, one date." Ino insisted, "Just so you know what it's like." She sincerely smiled.

"What it's like?" Tenten repeated; scoffing at the thought. "No thanks." She shock her head, rejecting the idea.

"Huh?" Sakura looked at Tenten inquisitively. "What do you mean 'no thanks'?"

"I mean," Tenten replied. "If 'what it's like' means having feelings for a guy who is in love with another woman, or a guy whose sole objective in life is revenge, or a guy who doesn't even notice me… I'd rather not 'know what it's like'." Tenten bitterly replied.

"Oh." All three girls looked down at their hands, slightly stung by the truth of Tenten's words.

"Haah." Tenten silently gasped, after she realized what she'd just said, "I'm sorry." She immediately apologized. She hadn't meant to hurt their feelings, but all that talk about guys had just reminded her of how annoyed and hurt she was, because of a guy. Without thinking, she'd taken it out on her friends, who had just been trying to be nice. It wasn't fair.

"You're right though." Ino dejectedly replied. "Shikamaru is obviously in love with Temari. I should just give up." She sighed.

"Well, you never know. They're from two different villages, what are the chances it will last?" Tenten tried to cheer her friend up, but the truth was, she was pretty sure that the Shika/Temari relationship was definitely serious. "And, there's always Chouji." She offered, making Ino laugh at the thought.

"And Sakura." Tenten turned to the pink haired girl. "Sasuke will come around. It's obvious he does care about you… you just need to give him some time." Sakura nodded, a little happier.

"Hinata." Tenten turned to the shy girl. "Naruto's oblivious to everything. But if you try a little harder, he'll see what a wonderful girl you are." She smiled at her friend. "And if he doesn't, I'm sure Kiba would gladly beat the snot out of him for you." Hinata laughed at the thought. As obvious as it was to everyone but Naruto that Hinata liked Naruto, it was just as obvious to everyone, but Hinata, that Kiba loved her.

"Ok. Enough moping." Ino exclaimed. "Let's get Tenten a boyfriend." She firmly announced; her earlier depression completely forgotten.

"What!?!" Tenten's eyes grew as big as saucers.

"Well, you have to make it up to us for hurting our feelings." Ino explained.

Nodding their agreement, the two other girls helped Ino pull Tenten out of the restaurant and toward the Ichiraku, where Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Chouji, and Sasuke were eating lunch that day.

"Hey boys!" Ino shouted, as the four girls approached the ramen stand. Upon hearing the loud blond, all five guys slowly turned around to face the girls.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto excitedly jumped out of his red stool to meet the pink haired kunoichi; much to the disappointment of Hinata, who had been standing right next to Sakura, unnoticed by the blond knuckle-head ninja.

"Yo, Hinata." Kiba walked over to his teammate and gave her one of his trademark wolfish smirks.

"Hello, Kiba-kun." Hinata timidly smiled back; her spirit's slightly lifted.

Soon after, the rest of the group quickly exchanged greetings, as Shikamaru mumbled something about it being too troublesome to get up from his stool to greet such troublesome woman.

"So what are you girls up to?" Kiba asked them.

"Oh, we're just helping Tenten out with something." Ino replied, slyly.

"What's wrong, Tenten-chan?" Naruto earnestly asked, "Did Neji do something? 'Cos if he did, I'll kick his butt for you." The self-proclaimed future Hokage smiled widely.

"Where is Hyuga anyway?" Shikamaru nonchalantly asked. "Aren't you usually with him?" The lazy genius eyed Tenten curiously.

"He's probably training." She replied.

"When isn't he?" Sasuke disinterestedly remarked, before returning his attention back to his bowl of food; ignoring the rest of the group and they continued to talk amongst themselves.

Soon after, as the more friendlier (and less lazy) boys continued chatting with the four kunoichi, an enraged figure began making his way over toward the oblivious group. Everyone was so busy talking about something else, that no one, except for Shikamaru and Sasuke (who didn't really care,) noticed Neji storm up directly behind the bun-haired kunoichi.

Tenten had been so distracted, that she barely registered when the Hyuga grabbed hold of her shoulders and quickly spun her around. The speed of his movements, caught everyone by surprise, though not nearly as shocking as what he did next. In a split second, Tenten went from looking deeply into his white, pupil-less eyes, to being vigorously kissed by the white eyed genius.

After what seemed like an eternity, in which the other eight ninjas stood frozen still in shock, the two finally pulled apart for air. In a daze, Tenten opened her eyes and looked up at Neji, who firmly stared down at her.

"Happy now?" He asked.

Unable to command her self to speak, Tenten nodded her head in response.

"Good." Neji replied. "I'll see you at the training grounds tomorrow then. You better not skip tomorrow." He sternly warned, "I refuse to train with those two lunatics ever again." And with that, the genius Hyuga started walking back towards the direction he came from.

After watching him walk only a few steps away from the group and finally being able to put coherent thoughts together, Tenten realized what the stoic genius had said. "HYUGA NEJI!" She furiously yelled out after the man; angrily chasing after him; ready to teach him a new lesson.

As the other's silently watched, in utter shock, as the bun-haired kunoichi ran off behind the long-haired shinobi, Ino turned to the girls in bewildered awe. "I guess she didn't need help finding a boyfriend after all."

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-****  
THE END  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**


	4. Hiccups

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter summary**: Hiccups… so annoyed… well… maybe not always.

* * *

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
HICCUPS  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

_HICCUP_

Tenten's whole body bounced with the offending spasmodic contraction. She'd been hiccupping all morning long, unable to put an end to it. She'd tried everything she could think of; drinking cups after cups of water, even some while standing on her head. But nothing work. Still, she had figured that by the time she got to her team's training grounds though, they'd be long over; no such luck.

_HICCUP_

Her teammates turned towards her; questioning looks on the two self-proclaimed green beasts of Konoha; Neji too, looked up at her, before quickly returning to his meditation. Tenten shrugged at the two others; indicating that it was unimportant, and the other two returned to what they were doing as well.

"OKAY TEAM!" Gai exclaimed, "TODAY WE SHALL BE DOING TARGET PRACTICE!" He informed them. Lee immediately jumped up and down in excitement.

"TARGET _hic_ PRACTICE?!?! _Hic_" Tenten shouted through her hiccups. "Why? _Hic _I _hic _don't _hic _need _hic _practice!" She protested.

Tenten was the weapon's mistress of Konoha. One hundred percent accuracy; she didn't need target practice! This day just seemed to be getting worse and worse, as far as Tenten was concerned.

_HICCUP_

"PRECIOUS FLOWER OF TEAM GAI…" Gai launched into one of his famous speeches, "EVEN THE MOST YOUTHFUL KUNOICHI MUST PRACTICE HER PERFECTED SKILLS, OTHERWISE HER AIM WILL GO RUSTY AND SHE MIGHT LOSE HER 100 PERCENT ACCURACY." The often fool-hearty man actually made sense.

"OH GAI-SENSEI, YOU ARE SO WISE." Lee began crying rivers of tears in admiration of his insane idol.

"LEE." Gai began to weep rivers of tears upon seeing the admiration in his favorite pupil.

"GAI-SENSEI!" Lee yelled back.

"LEE!" Gai yelled again.

"GAI-SENSEI."

"LEE." Queue sunset.

_HICCUP_

"Tenten?" Gai turned to face his only female student.

"ARE YOU OKAY TENTEN-SAN?" Lee concernedly asked.

"OH LEE, ALWAYS THINKING OF OTHER'S." Gai beamed proudly.

"GAI-SENSEI"

"LEE"

"ENOUGH!" Yelled a usually silent Neji from his spot against the tree. He'd had enough of his teammate's antics for one day. And Tenten's hiccups were beginning to drive him over the edge.

_HICCUP_

"Sorry everyone. I just woke up with them and I haven't been able to get rid of them. But I'll be okay." She picked up a kunai and threw it at the target set in front of her in order to prove to the them all that she was in fact fine.

_HICCUP_

She missed!

The three other members of her team froze in shock at the sight. Tenten never missed ; not once since she'd perfected her technique.

"OH DEAREST TENTEN-SAN, SOMETHING IS SO TERRIBLY WRONG!" Lee began crying, this time in despair.

"It's _hic_ just _hic_ the _hic_ hicc_hic_ups." Tenten explained; though inside, she was VERY angry about it now. How dare these hiccups ruin her perfect aim! This could NOT continue.

"WE MUST HELP OUR PRECIOUS FLOWER RID HERSELF OF THOSE UNYOUTHFUL HICCUPS!" Gai exclaimed.

"HAI! WE SHALL HELP OUR YOUTHFUL TENTEN-SAN!" Lee readily agreed. "YOU WILL HELP TOO, WON'T YOU NEJI?" He asked the white eyed prodigy, who was sitting with his eyes closed away from everyone else.

"Hn." Neji grunted in reply; his eyes remained closed, indicated that he was uninterested in the task the two lunatics had set out for themselves.

"THEN IF NEJI SHALL NOT HELP, I WILL HELP TEN TIMES AS MUCH!" Lee exclaimed.

"Ten _hic _times?" Tenten wasn't sure what that meant, but she was sure it was not going to be pretty.

"BUT GAI-SENSIE, HOW DOES ONE GET RID OF THE HICCUPS?" Lee innocently turned toward his sensei; ready to soak up whatever wisdom he was certain his teacher would soon impart upon them.

"THAT IS A WONDERFUL QUESTION LEE." Gai gave him a good guy pose. "LET ME THINK…" He began scratching his head. "ONE WAY IS TO DRINK LOTS OF WATER."

"I _hic_ al_hic_ready _hic _tired _hic _that." Tenten replied.

"WELL ANOTHER WAY IS TO STAND ON YOUR HEAD." Gai said.

"I _hic_ tried _hic_ that _hic_ too." Tenten replied.

"LET SEE…" he kept thinking, "EATING SPICY FOOD." He said.

"THE CURRY OF LIFE!" Lee exclaimed. Neji almost visibly twitched at the memory those horrible words conjured.

"NO! _hic_" Tenten yelled in protest.

"WE DON'T HAVE ANY CURRY." Gai told Lee, who looked down disappointedly. "HAVE YOU TRIED HOLDING YOUR BREATH?" Gai asked Tenten.

"Hai _hic_." Tenten nodded yes.

Gai began naming off all the ways he could think of to get rid of the hiccups; some of them quite insane (only he could have come up with), and some just a little silly, but Tenten was willing to try anything.

"HOW ABOUT COUNTING BACKWARDS FROM 100?" Gai suggested.

Tenten hadn't tried that yet, so she decided to give it a go. She closed her eyes and began counting backwards from 100. As she did this, Gai called Lee over and whispered in his ear to go around them and try to sneak up on Tenten to scare her. He had once heard that startling someone with the hiccups was a sure fire way to get ride of them.

_HICCUP_

"It _hic _didn't _hic _work." Tenten stated.

"BOO!" Lee jumped out from behind a bush. Tenten, however, was not startled at all, as she gave the odd boy a questioning look. "GAI-SENSEI, SHE WAS NOT FIGHTENED!" Lee stated disappointedly.

"Why _hic _would _hic _I _hic _be _hic _scared _hic _of _hic _you _hic _Lee?" Tenten curiously asked, before the three of them continued on with their hiccup 'solutions'.

After a while, with training completely stalled to deal with the kunoichi's problem, the meditating prodigy began to get irritated, and decided that enough was enough. After trying dozens and dozens of ways to try to get Tenten's hiccups to go away, the two green beasts had yet to accomplish their 'mission'. To make things worst, they had already wasted over two hours of their training time; something Neji just couldn't stand for any longer.

Fed up with the whole thing, the Hyuga prodigy got up from his seat against the tree and walked over to where Tenten and the two lunatics of their team were standing. Quickly approaching Tenten, he grabbed her head with his hands and in an instant pulled her face towards his. Tenten barely register when their lips met, and before she knew it, he was kissing her. Taken completely by surprise, unsure of what had gotten into the cold hearted Hyuga.

After what seemed like an eternity, Neji finally released her. Out of breath, but blissfully so, Tenten turned upward to begin to speak.

"There." Neji said, before she could say anything; walking back to his spot to pick up his gear so they could start training.

As the other three watched Neji walk off towards the clearing behind them, Lee turned to Gai and then to Tenten. "Tenten." He called to her.

"Yeah Lee?" She turned to face him; still somewhat dazed by the impromptu kiss.

"HEY! YOUR HICCUPS ARE GONE!" He said excitedly.

"I guess you're right." She replied.

The three remaining members of team Gai began walking towards the clearing where Neji was already preparing himself for their target practice. No one noticed the prodigy touch his lips and smile, before turning around to face his approaching teammates.

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
THE END  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**


	5. Almost lovers

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto…Nor do I own Almost Lovers by A Fine Frenzy, but I do love the song

**Chapter summary**: Tenten's the last in her team to try out for the Jounin exams. As she prepares herself for the arduous task, the bun-haired kunoichi can't help but let her mind wander and think about the man who helped her get as far as she has in the shinobi world.

**A/N**: This was my first attempt at a song-fic… The next chapter is the continuation, so this is really a two-shot…

* * *

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
ALMOST LOVERS  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_Your fingertips across my skin_

_The palm trees swaying in the wind_

_Images_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_SHLING_

The screeching sound of metal emanated through the branches as weapons soared through the swaying trees, blowing gently in the light summer breeze. One after another, projectiles were aimed toward a certain white eyed shinobi. But as always, Neji managed to evade each weapon Tenten threw at him.

'Missed again!' Tenten thought, as she moved through the trees; heavily panting as she hopelessly attempted to conceal herself from the Byakugan user.

"Haah." The kunoichi loudly exhaled. "Neji, can we PLEASE take a break now?" The bun-haired girl begged.

The two team Gai members had been sparring since the early morning hours, much to the kunoichi's annoyance. They had been training none stop, all day, for the past few weeks. She had been tried for hours already, and had been asking her partner to allow for a short break. Unfortunately, said partner was intent on practicing harder in order to prepare Tenten for the upcoming Jounin selections.

"You'll never get stronger that way." Neji replied, appearing behind Tenten; roughly grabbing hold of her.

"Fine." Tenten relented, unwilling to admit how truly drained she felt, for fear that Neji might think her weak; not that he'd ever called her that.

"Hn." Neji released the girl from his grasp, having realized her exhaustion when he'd snuck up behind her, trapping her in his arms and she'd failed to free herself from his grip.

"Huh?" Tenten turned; confused, yet very aware of the feel of Neji's fingertips grazing her skin as he removed his arms from around her.

Without a word, Neji moved towards the nearest tree to meditate, and allow Tenten to recuperate her strength. Tenten didn't question his actions; she understood his silence better than anyone.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_You sang me Spanish lullabies_

_The sweetest sadness in your eyes_

_Clever trick_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Ready?" Neji asked in his usual cold manner.

"Hai." Tenten replied in a confident voice, yet on the inside she couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Stay focused." Neji advised.

"I will." Tenten replied, before entering into the testing grounds.

She would be in darkness, fighting against shadows concealed within shadows. Above her the night sky seemed endless, with but a single star in the moonless sky.

'Neji.' She thought, as she looked up into the sky.

Through all the years they'd been together as teammates, he had always been the star that helped to guide her through the darkness. Somewhere along the way she had fallen in love with the Hyuga prodigy without her even realizing it. His cold and unemotional nature, however made it impossible for her to know how he felt, so she simply chose to remain silent about her feelings; fearing losing him if she were ever to confess and he rejected her.

The Hyuga was well known for his stoic personality, never showing a shred of emotion; but she knew better, it was merely a clever trick. In reality he was full of emotion, one just had to learn to read him, to see the sadness that had filled his eyes in their earlier years. A sadness that in recent years had been replaced by something else, but what that was, Tenten couldn't quite make out.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_Well, I never want to see you unhappy_

_I thought you'd want the same for me_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

Being the great Hyuga prodigy, there were many clans throughout the five nations that had tried persuading the young genius to marry one of their woman. Neji had turned them all down, stating that he would not be distracted from his goals to be a stronger ninja.

Tenten had once been very nervous that he would finally decide to leave with one of the woman who had been offered to him as his bride. She had been a beautiful and intelligent aristocrat from the Wave Country. Her clan had made an enormous offer, even offering to make Neji held of the entire clan. And what's more, it seemed like Neji hadn't been completely annoyed by the young woman, he'd even almost been friendly towards her; well, as friendly as Neji could be.

If Tenten had been a different person, she might have felt jealous, but that just wasn't Tenten. She had felt hurt, and saddened by the idea of losing him, but in the end, she realized that what she wanted most in the world, was for Neji to be happy. If that meant he was to leave her side and marry a girl from another village, then Tenten would be happy for him.

Fortunately, of course, he had refused that marriage just like the others and returned to their training grounds the following morning after the girl left, as if nothing had even occurred.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_Goodbye, my almost lover_

_Goodbye, my hopeless dream_

_I'm trying not to think about you_

_Can't you just let me be?_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Ahhhhhhh." Tenten repeatedly began hitting her head none too softly.

"Why can't I stop thinking about him?" She quietly asked herself, as she made her way through the dark forest. "I should be concentrating." Tenten reminded herself.

"Stay focused." His words echoed in her mind.

"I know, I know." Tenten sighed. "I can't help it." she whispered.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_So long, my luckless romance_

_My back is turned on you_

_Should've known you'd bring me heartache_

_Almost lovers always do_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"This is getting me nowhere." Tenten signed, having been wandering through the dark forest for a few hours now.

She'd run into a few traps, wild animals, and hidden Jounin who were meant to test her, along the way, easily evading any serious trouble. Still, she couldn't seem to keep her focus. Being out in the wilderness with nothing by her own thoughts allowed her too much time to question everything she'd been feeling but had been trying to ignore.

"I don't know why I even bother." she said to herself, "it's not like he'd ever feel the same way."

'You're only setting yourself up for heartache.' She told herself as she jumped down from the branch she's been on; surveying the surrounding area for an exit, and for more hidden ninjas.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_We walked along a crowded street_

_You took my hand and danced with me_

_Images_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"CONGRATULATIONS YOUTHFUL FLOWER, YOU'VE FINALLY MADE IT TO JOUNIN LIKE THE REST OF US!" Gai cheerfully exclaimed as Tenten walked out of the Hokage tower, into the crowded streets, having just been promoted to the elite rank of Jounin.

The spandex wearing sensei quickly approached the kunoichi and pulled her into a very tight embrace.

"Thank you Gai-sensei." Tenten replied, struggling to breath from beneath her sensei's tight grasp.

"YOSH! WE ARE SO HAPPY FOR YOU TENTEN-SAN." Lee added, as he joined in the hug "AREN'T WE NEJI-KUN?" He asked the stoic young man standing next to them; gesturing for him to join in the group hug.

"Hn." Neji replied from where he stood, refusing to comply with Lee's wishes. He remained impassive as usual, but Tenten could she the happiness dancing in his eyes.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_And when you left, you kissed my lips_

_You told me you would never, never forget_

_These images_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Congratulations." Neji finally said, after Gai and Lee had run off into another one of their sunsets, leaving Neji and Tenten alone on the crowded streets of Konoha.

"Thank you." Tenten lightly blushed.

It was the first time he'd ever complimented her. It wasn't exactly a hug, but it wasn't as if Tenten expected the same sort of reaction from Neji, as the ones she'd received from her other teammates.

What she wouldn't give for a hug from him; or better yet… a kiss.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_No_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

No, she couldn't allow herself to drift into fantasies. She was a Jounin now, not some child, who couldn't get over a school girl crush.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_I cannot go to the ocean_

_I cannot drive the streets at night_

_I cannot wake up in the morning_

_Without you on my mind_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

The next day, Tenten woke up. The thrill of having been promoted to the rank of Jounin had subsided as she readied herself for her early morning training with Neji.

'Neji.' She smiled at the mere thought of his name. Though she'd vowed to put childish notions behind her now that she was one of the elite ninja's, she still couldn't help thinking about him at every moment.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_So you're gone and I'm haunted_

_And I bet you are just fine_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

As she approached their usual training grounds, Tenten noticed something was different. Coming closer to the clearing where she usually train with Neji, she realized what that was. The white eyed prodigy was nowhere to be found.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_Did I make it that_

_Easy to walk right in and out_

_Of my life?_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

It wasn't at all like the Hyuga to miss training. If it had been anyone else, Tenten would not have thought anything of it, but this was THE Hyuga Neji. He was NEVER late. There had to be something wrong.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_Goodbye, my almost lover_

_Goodbye, my hopeless dream_

_I'm trying not to think about you_

_Can't you just let me be?_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

As she made her way through the streets of Konoha towards the Hyuga compound, the weapons mistress ran into Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino.

"Hi Tenten." Sakura greeted the older kunoichi.

"Hey Tenten." Ino smiled.

"Hello Sakura, hello Ino." Tenten replied as she approached the two girls.

"Congratulations on your promotion to Jounin." Sakura said.

"You were promoted to Jounin?" Ino turned toward the bun-haired kunoichi in disbelief, "Congratulations, I guess all that training with Neji paid off big time."

"Thank you both." Tenten smile; grateful to the girl's sincerity. "By the way, have either of you seen Neji today?" She asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Sakura looked at her in surprised. "That girl from Wave Country returned." The pink-haired medic informed her.

"I heard her clan was here to finalize the arrangements of the Neji's marriage to the girl with the Hyuga elders." Ino added.

"Oh." Tenten solemnly replied; her chest tightened with painful apprehension. "I didn't realize they were still in talks."

"Are you okay, Tenten?" Sakura asked, noticing the change in Tenten's tone.

"Yes, I'm fine." Tenten quickly reverted back to her more cheerful voice. "I was just thinking." She quickly replied.

"About what?" Ino, ever the gossip, asked.

"I was thinking she'd make a fine match for Neji." Tenten painfully lied.

"Oh." Ino didn't quite believe the bun haired girl.

"It's just a shame to be losing such a good sparing partner." Tenten added, to throw the two girls off.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_So long, my luckless romance_

_My back is turned on you_

_Should have known you'd bring me heartache_

_Almost lovers always do_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Tenten." A familiar baritone voice jolted Tenten from her empty thoughts.

Since the moment Sakura and Ino had informed her of the reason Neji had missed their regular training session, she had been sitting out in the clearing; leaning, with her eyes closed, against the same tree Neji always meditated on.

"Neji." Tenten jumped form her stop, startled by the sudden appearance of the white eyed prodigy. "What are you doing here?" she ask.

"I'm here to train." Neji replied.

"But that was hours ago." Tenten replied. 'Plus you're supposed to be busy, you've got a wedding to plan.' She thought to herself.

"You're still here." Neji observed.

"I was thinking." Tenten replied.

"…" A finely defined eyebrow rose questioningly.

"But if you want to train, I'm ready." Tenten walked over to him and began pulling out her scrolls.

"No." Neji replied. "It's late."

"Okay." Tenten replied disappointedly. 'Is this it? Are we never going to train together again?' She asked herself.

"Let's get something to eat." He offered, "We'll celebrate your promotion." Neji began walking towards the village.

"Really?" Tenten asked; a little shocked by his sudden invitation.

"Unless you'd rather train." Neji replied.

"…" This was highly unlike the Neji she knew. "Neji…" she began.

"Hn?" Neji turned to face her.

"Nothing, Never mind." Tenten smiled reassuringly.

Perhaps he _was _a hopeless dream; perhaps heartache awaited her around the corner, but for that moment, just being with him was enough. And if in the end images and fantasies were all that she was left with, it didn't matter, after all, all she ever wanted was to see him happy.

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-****  
TBC…  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**


	6. The Reason

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto… Nor do I own THE REASON by Hoobastank

**Chapter summary**: Tenten is the last in their team to try out for the Jounin exams. As Neji helps her prepare for the arduous task, the white-eyed shinobi can't help but let his mind wander and how much being with the bun-haired kunoichi and knowing her has meant to him.

**A/N** : This is sort of the continuation of the previous chapter, but at the same time not so much. It's the same story, but written in Neji's POV.

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
THE REASON  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_I'm not a perfect person_

_There's many things I wish I didn't do_

_But I continue learning_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Neji, can we PLEASE take a break now?" The bun-haired kunoichi heavily panted.

They had been training together since the early morning hours. Tenten was set to take the upcoming Jounin selections, a task Neji had accomplished a few years earlier. He had been determined to prepare her for the challenge, and had thus been practicing with her for a few weeks. During the course of that time, he had been harder with her than he was normally used to. Though they had trained together for many years, having always been left to their own devices when Gai and Lee ran off to train together in their earlier years, Neji had never been all that demanding of the girl. True, he had her train with him in harsh climates and godforsaken hours of the night, but he had always scheduled breaks around the times that he knew she would be getting tired, and he always canceled practice on days he could tell she was feeling unwell. But for the past couple of weeks as he helped to prepare the girl for her Jounin exams, he had been relentless.

Neji was well aware of the girl's strengths, and had no doubt that she would be able to excel, but he knew the exam was a difficult and dangerous one, and simply wanted to make sure Tenten wouldn't be too badly injured in the process.

"You'll never get stronger that way." Neji replied, appearing behind Tenten, and roughly grabbing hold of her.

"Fine." Tenten relented, attempted to hide how truly drained she felt, but Neji could tell the second he grabbed hold of her, from her miserably attempted to escape from his grasp.

"Hn." Neji released his hold on her, moving towards his usual meditation tree.

"Huh?" He saw Tenten turn in confusion, but remained unmoved as he sat down and closed his eyes to meditate.

'I may have overdone it.' Neji said to himself as he sensed the kunoichi approaching him next to the tree.

It had been like this for a very long time; after every spar, Neji would move to his favorite tree and sit down to meditate, while Tenten followed shortly after and sat down next to him to take a short nap.

At first he hadn't been too happy about it. He had never been one for close company, and having regarded the girl as nothing more than a teammate, he had been reluctant to allow her near him in any context other than when the pair was sparing. So the first time she'd moved to sit down next to him, he'd told her to move away from him, without so much as an explanation. The girl must have realized his discomfort and annoyance then, because she had quickly moved to a different tree.

One day, after a particularly heated spar, Tenten had been left a giant human bruise. He'd felt guilty for having let out his frustration over some family matters out on the poor girl. She had had nothing to do with his anger, yet he had beaten her to within an inch of her life. That day as she moved to sit next to him beside his tree, and he had allowed her to rest beside him. At some point, she falling over onto his shoulder.

She had never reproached him for that day, never even showed any signs of accusations towards him. The next day he had expected her to shrink away from him, and possibly request that Gai or Lee train with her, but he had been pleasantly surprised to see her cheerfully approach him and ask to spar like every other day.

After that, it had become a tradition; they would spar, and then both move to the same tree to rest. From an outsider's perspective it would seem as if they two sparing partner's were both sitting in meditation, but Neji knew better. Though she hardly ever made any noises, he could tell from her shallow breathing that she would always take that opportunity to take a quick cat nap, while he tried to meditate.

In truth, neither of them meditated at that time. As Tenten slept, Neji would sit there silently thinking about the girl sitting to his side. He sometimes felt guilty for hurting her during their sparing sessions, especially whenever he heard a pained moan quietly escape the girl's lips. But she never felt any animosity toward him, even though she never seemed to be able to win against him. Slowly, he had begun to see her as more than just a teammate and sparing partner. She was also his friend.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_I've found out a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_and the reason is you_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Ready?" Neji asked in his usual cold manner as he watched Tenten staring straight into the testing grounds where she would soon be entering to take her Jounin exam.

"Hai." Tenten replied in a confident voice, but Neji could still see the nervousness in her eyes.

"Stay focused." Neji advised the girl, trying to get her to calm down a little.

"I will." Tenten replied, before entering into the testing grounds.

As Neji watched Tenten move into the dark forest, he felt a flutter in his chest. He was confident that she'd do well, but he couldn't help disliking the idea of her being out there on her own. She was a strong and skillful kunoichi; the best, as far as Neji was considered, but he couldn't help feeling uneasy at the thought of her fighting without him, just as he never felt completely comfortable fighting without her.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_I'm sorry that I hurt you_

_It's something I must live with everyday_

_And all the pain I put you through_

_I wish that I could take it all away_

_And be the one who catches all your tears_

_That's why I need you to hear_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

Neji stared up into the moonless sky, wondering where Tenten was in the forest and how she was doing with the challenge. He was positive that she would be nothing if not superb, but he still worried.

The Hyuga was well known for his stoic personality; famous for his icy demeanor and lack of emotion. But in reality, that wasn't the case at all. He had learned early in his life, just as all Hyuga did, that emotions were considered a hindrance, and thus it was best to eliminate them. But just as his cousin Hinata was unable to keep her emotions bottled up, Neji was also not completely immune to their sway; he was simply better at concealing his emotions than his younger cousin.

However, when it came to Tenten, things were different. She once told him that she could see his soul through his eyes. This had been a bit confusing to the Byakugan user since it was a common belief that the white eyes of the Hyuga held no emotion whatsoever because of their cold colorlessness. Yet Tenten had insisted that she could clearly see everything that he felt just by looking into his eyes; and he believed her too, because only she seemed to understand his silence and the words behind his single syllable replies.

"Where are you Tenten?" Neji asked, as he looked up at the single star in the sky.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_and the reason is You_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"CONGRATULATIONS YOUTHFUL FLOWER, YOU'VE FINALLY MADE IT TO JOUNIN LIKE THE REST OF US!" Gai cheerfully exclaimed as Tenten walked out of the Hokage tower, to meet up with her two teammates and sensei. She had just been promoted to the elite rank of Jounin, after having completed her challenge a couple of days earlier.

"Thank you Gai-sensei." Tenten replied, struggling to breath as Gai pulled her into a crushing embrace, followed shortly after by Lee.

"YOSH! WE ARE SO HAPPY FOR YOU TENTEN-SAN" Lee added, before turning over to meet Neji's intense glare as he stared at his two spandex wearing teammates crushing Tenten between them.

"AREN'T WE NEJI-KUN?" Lee asked the stoic young man standing next to them, gesturing for him to join the three of them in their group hug.

"Hn." Neji replied from where he stood, refusing to comply with Lee's wishes. He remained impassive as usual, but inside, he was very happy for her, almost even smiling, before he caught himself.

If he were a different man, Neji would have joined the hug, if only to be close to Tenten; but he wasn't, he was Hyuga Neji, and he most certainly did NOT do group hugs. But sometimes, he wished he could be a little more openly affectionate, like Gai and Lee. 'Well maybe not like Gai and Lee.' He almost shivered at the idea, but he was Neji, and Neji didn't shiver.

"We should get going." Neji reminded the trio of why they had come to the Hokage tower in the first place.

Gai had decided that the former teammates would all get together to celebrate Tenten's promotion. He had gone to Lee's apartment first and recruited his mini-clone to go to the Hyuga compound and get Neji so the three of them could wait for Tenten outside the Hokage tower.

"OH THAT'S RIGHT!" Gai exclaimed, releasing his hold on Tenten, "WE MUST TAKE OUR YOUTHFUL FLOWER TO CELEBRATE THIS GRAND ACCOMPLISHMENT!" He loudly bellowed.

"OH GAI-SENSEI, YOU ARE SO THOUGHFUL." Lee exclaimed.

"LEE!" Gai shouted.

"GAI-SENSEI!" Lee shouted back.

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_and the reason is You_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Congratulations." Neji finally said, after Gai and Lee ran off into another one of their sunsets, leaving him and Tenten alone on the crowded streets of Konoha.

"Thank you." Tenten lightly blushed.

'She looks so cute when she blushes.' Neji thought. He was happy to know that he alone held that honor of being able to paint her cheeks in a light rosy color.

After Lee and Gai had took off, Tenten and Neji had decided to part company as well, figuring that the two goofballs would likely not show up any time soon, and it was best to wait for them for the celebratory meal. Secretly, Neji would have liked to have gone out to celebrate with Tenten alone, but at the same time, it would seem too much like a date and he wasn't sure what she'd think if he suggested it. So instead he walked her home and agreed to meet up in their usual training area early the next morning.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_I'm not a perfect person_

_I never meant to do those things to you_

_And so I have to say before I go_

_That I just want you to know_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

Before the sun even rose, Neji was getting read for his training session with Tenten. As he left his room to head out to the training ground, he suddenly felt an intense chakra behind him.

"Neji." The voice of the head of the Hyuga clan called out from behind him.

"Hiashi-sama." Neji politely bowed after turning to face the clan leader.

"You will not be training today." Hiashi commanded.

"…" Neji dared not question the clan leader, but he was curious as to why his uncle would make such an order.

"The daughter of the clan that came last month has returned to finalize the details of their offer to have you marry her." Hiashi informed the younger Hyuga, at seeing the boy's confusion.

It was well known that Neji had been approached by numerous clans to marry one of their women. A few weeks earlier, Neji had met a woman from an aristocratic Wave Country clan. The woman that was meant to be his bride had seemed like a nice enough person, and not as irritating as most of the other girls Neji knew, including his many fan-girls. Regardless, Neji had turned down that offer, just has he had every other. He informed them that he was not interested in leaving his village, and he had important goals that still remained to be attained. The girl had left, and as far as Neji had been concerned, the issue was dropped. However, the elders had had a different idea.

It had become rather bothersome for them to have all these clans approaching the Hyuga in order to wed one of their women to the Hyuga prodigy, and thus they had decided that Neji should marry to put an end to it. They had other reasons for wanting to marry the genius, including a desire to have him procreate new Hyuga members with his level of skill. They had decided because the girl from the Wave Country had been the only one who had seemed to not utterly irritate the young man, it would be she who would be the one to wed Neji.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_I've found out a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_and the reason is you_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"I refuse." Neji bluntly stated before the Hyuga elders, who were seated to his right, next to Hiashi, Hinata, and Hanabi, who were seated at the place of honor.

"You cannot refuse." One elder angrily replied.

"It is your duty as a Branch member to do what is best for the clan." Another elder added.

"And what is best for the clan is that you marry soon; and since you have been unable to pick a worthy bride, it has fallen upon us elders to provide you with one." A third elder stated.

"But I _have _found a bride." Neji replied; much to the surprised of all those gathered there, including the main branch members, as well as the elders.

"And just who exactly is this woman?" Hiashi finally spoke up.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

_I've found a reason for me_

_To change who I used to be_

_A reason to start over new_

_and the reason is you_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"Tenten." Neji was surprised to still find the bun-haired kunoichi waiting at their training ground. He had been certain she would have gone home by then, after all it had been many hours since their scheduled sparring match.

"Neji." Tenten jumped from her spot; clearly startled by his sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm here to train." Neji replied.

"But that was hours ago." Tenten replied. She seemed a bit nervous, but Neji felt perhaps it was his own nerves that he was projecting onto her.

"You're still here." Neji replied, trying to suppress the uneasiness in his tone.

"I was thinking." Tenten replied.

"…" A finely defined eyebrow rose questioningly. Neji wonder what she could have been thinking about so intently as to not have noticed his presence.

"But if you want to train, I'm ready." Tenten walked over to him and began pulling out her scrolls.

"No." Neji replied. "It's late." 'And I need to ask you something.' He thought.

"Okay." Tenten replied somewhat disappointedly, but Neji failed to notice; consumed by his own thoughts.

"Let's get something to eat." He offered. "We'll celebrate your promotion." 'And I'll ask you there'. He thought.

"Really?" Tenten asked.

"Unless you'd rather train." Neji replied, knowing full well that she wouldn't since he was certain she ha been out here for a while and was most likely very hungry.

"Neji…" She quietly called out as she began following him to the village.

"Hn?" Neji turned to face her, wondering what could be on her mind.

"Nothing, Never mind." She smiled reassuringly.

Neji smiled in return, Tenten was the reason; his reason for wanting to be a different man, a better man, his reason for smiling.

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
THE END  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**


	7. Hair Tie

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter summary**: The Inner Musings of one Hyuga Neji, on the day Tenten forgets her hair-ties.

* * *

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
HAIR TIE  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

"Shit" Came the barely audible whisper next to the white eyed prodigy.

He turned to face his female teammate, who was frantically searching through the contents of her bag. Team Gai had just finished a long escort mission, and were on their way back to the village for a much needed rest.

"Something the matter?" Neji asked in his usual cold manner.

"Huh?" With one hand, she held up her loose hair, while the other kept moving things in her bag, as she turned over toward the Hyuga.

"…" Neji arched an eyebrow curiously as he observed Tenten.

"NEJI!" Tenten suddenly shrieked excitedly, as if she'd just realized something of great importance.

"Hn?" Neji glared at the kunoichi uncertainly; wondering what had caused his usually sane teammate to scream like… _Lee_. "Arg" He shuddered at the thought of his faithful sparing partner even remotely resembling their overly enthusiastic teammate.

"Neji, Neji, Neji!" Tenten excitedly jumped up and down; maintaining a firm hold on the mess of brown locks..

"…" The Hyuga started at her; silently urging her with his eyes to stop acting so out of character. '_Why do I have a feeling this isn't going to end well for me?_' Neji asked himself.

"Oh Neji-kunnnnn." Tenten cooed.

"What is it Tenten?" Neji asked, a shiver ran down his spine at the honorific Tenten added to his name; it was clear she wanted something.

"Oh Neji-kun" Tenten began. "Would you be so kind…" she smiled sweetly; which only further unnerved the Hyuga. "Could I borrow your hair tie?" She finally asked.

Neji blinked incredulously, "That's it?" He asked himself out loud. '_That's all I was worried about?_' He inwardly exhaled.

"Does that mean yes?" Tenten smiled hopefully.

"Why do you need my hair tie?" Neji asked suspiciously; certain there was more to it than that. He couldn't quite let his guard down.

"Hello!" She signaled to the loose strands of hair she had been holding in her left hand. "I need to tie my hair up, but I can't seem to find any of my hair ties." The kunoichi explained.

"Is that all?" He repeated. "Fine." Neji sighed, removing the hair tie he wore and handing it over to Tenten.

"Thanks." The girl replied, as she quickly took the white hair tie from Neji and wrapped her hair into a single sloppy bun on the top of her head.

"Hn." Neji watched as the kunoichi twirled the hair tie around her bun to keep the hair from falling out. He had never realized it until then, but Neji was certain he had never seen Tenten with her hair down.

"Okay, come on, let's go." Tenten picked up her bag. Moments later the two walked over to the other side of their camp to find Lee and Gai picking up their tents.

"ARE WE READY, MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS?" Came the zealous shouts from their spandex wearing sensei.

"HAI!" Lee responded enthusiastically.

The four shinobi quickly leapt through the trees back towards Konoha.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"OKAY TEAM, WE'LL MEET AT 0500 HOURS TOMORROW!" Gai instructed the younger shinobi upon exiting the Hokage tower where they had just finished giving their mission report.

"Hai." Lee, Neji and Tenten replied in unison before Gai took off toward the direction of team seven's training grounds. ;No doubt going to challenge Hatake Kakashi to yet another pointless battle.' Neji thought as he watched Gai run off at top speed.

"Hey Neji." Tenten waved a hand in front of the prodigy's face trying to catch his attention. "Earth to Neji." She continued.

"Stop that." Neji caught her hand, mid-swing.

"What were you thinking about?" Tenten asked, tilting her head as she looked into his eyes.

"Hn." Neji grunted; no intention of replying.

"Fine! Don't tell me." Tenten replied, sticking her tongue out playfully before turning to Lee. "We just won't tell you what we were talking about, right Lee?" She latched on to the other boy's arm and began walking away.

'_There she goes again, acting so childishly_'. Neji sighed as he began following his two teammates. '_If she wasn't so cute it'd be annoying._' Neji stopped, frozen on the spot, at the sudden intrusive thought in his head.

"Hurry up Neji, or we'll start eating without you!" Tenten yelled back as she and Lee reached the Ichiraku ramen stand where a certain blond haired shinobi was wolfing down bowl after bowl of ramen.

"YOSH! YES, HURRY NEJI-KUN!" Lee shouted before sitting down and greeting Naruto.

"Hn." Neji shook off that last thought and picked up his pace to sit down next to his two teammates. It was only then that he noticed a figure crouching in the bushes that he instantly recognized. "Hinata-sama?"

"Gasp. N-N-Neji-nii-san." Hinata jumped out of the bushes with a bright blush on her cheeks. "W-welcome back from your mission." Hinata stammered.

"Arigato, Hinata-sama." Neji bowed politely, "Was there something you wanted?" He asked, wondering why she was hidden behind the bushes. '_Probably here to see that baka Naruto_.' He reasoned.

"Umm…" Hinata began playing with her fingers nervously.

"Oh, Hinata-chan!" Naruto yelled out, "When'd you get here?" He asked, as if he'd just realized she was standing next to him for the first time.

'_Idiot_.' Neji mentally rolled his eyes.

"Hey Hinata, want to join us for lunch?" Tenten motioned for the younger kunoichi to sit next to her.

"H-Hai. A-Arigato, Tenten-san." Hinata quietly walked over towards Neji's teammate.

'_Tenten is always so thoughtful_.' Neji slightly smiled, before catching himself and then returning back to his emotionless expression.

"Tenten-chan, you look different today." Naruto commented.

"…" Tenten arched an eyebrow, looking confused by Naruto's comment.

"No she does not!" Lee shouted, scanning Tenten from head to toe to see if he could figure out what Naruto was talking about.

"Yeah she does." Naruto insisted. "I just don't know what it is." He squinted his eyes, as if that would help him see something.

"I do not think so." Lee repeated.

"Well I think she does!" Naruto stood up to face Lee; a look of determination in his eye.

'_I'm surrounded by fools_.' Neji mentally rolled his eyes as he watched the two loudest shinobi in the village, excluding Gai and the Inuzuka clan, argue about whether Tenten looked different or not.

"T-Tenten-san…" Hinata began shyly.

"Yes Hinata?" Tenten turned to look at the younger girl, ignoring the two idiots fighting next to them.

"Your hair looks very pretty today." The timid heiress smiled meekly.

"Arigato." Tenten smiled, blushing slightly as her left hand unconsciously rose to touch the messy bun at the top of her head.

"Oh so that's it!" Naruto smiled triumphantly; happy that he had been right.

"Hai Tenten-chan, you do look youthfully beautiful!" Lee exclaimed as he turned to face her, "Do you not agree Neji-kun?" he asked the stoic Hyuga.

"Hai." Neji replied instinctively, before realizing what he'd said. '_Oh shit_.' He quickly stood up from his seat, "Hinata-sama, I will see you back at the compound, Hashi-sama will most likely want me to report to him immediately." He said, before rushing off in the direction of the Hyuga estate.

"That was odd." Tenten stared at her teammate's retreating back.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

'_I can't believe I said that_!' Neji scolded himself as he paced back and forth in his bedroom. He'd been replaying the moment over and over in his head for the last few hours, wondering how it was possible for him to make such a stupid slip up in front of everyone. '_She did look pretty though._'

"N-Neji-nii-san." Came a shy whisper from the other side of his door.

Neji slowly walked to his door, knowing exactly who would be on the other side.

"Hinata-sama." He greeted as he opened the door. "Was there something you required?"

"N-no." Hinata shook her head. "I just wanted to see if you were doing better." Hinata shyly asked as she looked down at the floor.

"…" Neji gave her a confused look.

"About what happened at lunch." Hinata reminded him.

"…" Neji stood stiffly still. "I'm fine." he said rushed.

"O-okay." Hinata turned to leave.

"Hinata-sama…" Neji called her back.

"Yes?" She asked as she turned back.

"Have- Have you ever seen Tenten with her hair down?" Neji asked before he realized what he was saying.

He'd been thinking about it since he'd returned from the ramen stand. No, even before that, ever since he'd handed Tenten his hair tie; he had been wondering what it would be like to see Tenten with her hair down. He realized that never in all the years he'd known the girl, in all the years they'd been teammates, sparing partners, he had never once seen her with her hair loose. Now he wondered if perhaps anyone else had ever been witness to such a thing.

"N-no, Neji-nii-san, I don't believe I ever have." Hinata confirmed Neji's suspicions.

"Oh. Okay, thank you Hinata." Neji went back to pacing in his room as Hinata walked away to leave him alone with his thoughts, all the while a knowing smile planted firmly on her face…

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Neji" A familair voice distracted Neji from his meditation as he sat up against a tree at Team Gai's training grounds.

It was 4:30 in the morning, still half an hour before anyone else was to arrive. Neji opened his eyes to see his female teammate standing above him, still wearing his hair tie in one sloppy bun.

"Are you ready to train?" Neji asked as he stood up to take his stance.

"Okay." Tenten cheerful replied before taking her own stance.

The two sparring partners immediately took to their daily routine; punching, blocking, twisting, turning, throwing, dodging. All the while, Neji kept becoming distracted by images of Tenten with her hair down. Finally he couldn't take it any longer and decided to aim for the hair tie he had let her borrow, rationalizing that it was his anyway, so he might as well get it back from her.

"Neji." Tenten panted. It had been hours since they started; Lee and Gai had come on gone, and the mid-day sun was shinning down brightly on the pair. "Can we take a break?" Tenten requested.

"No." Neji replied simply, making another masked dive for the hair tie.

"But Neji, we've been at this for hours, and I'm hungry." Tenten stated, without being too whinny. "Pleeeeease?" she looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

"Hn." He begrudgingly relented; moving over to their packed lunches.

"Thanks Neji." She bounced over next to him, picking up her lunch as he took out his water bottle and lifted it up to take a drink.

"Oh, I almost forgot." Tenten exclaimed, as Neji turned to look at her. "Here you go." she stated as she removed the hair tie that had been holding her messy bun in place, and handed it to the Hyuga.

'_So_' "Beautiful" Neji whispered, not realizing the water pouring down his shirt, as he stood staring at the kunoichi in absolute awe.

"Huh?" Tenten looked at Neji as the water from his water bottle completely missed his mouth. _'Wonder what's wrong with him?'_ The kunoichi asked herself, before turning away to find new hair ties in her bag.

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
THE END  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**


	8. Sleepless

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. This poem was a request and thus I _DEDICATE_ this chapter to **babygurl1012**, Thanks for the idea!!!

**REVIEWS:**

_Nara Temari, _Thanks. Love the penname BTW.  
_Sony89,_Thanks  
_ILuvNeji77,_ Thanks, glad I could be of inspiration. Your new chapter was hilarious btw.  
_ForgottenLovedOne,_Thanks  
_B.Q.,_Thanks. I definitely will.  
_babygurl1012,_That was an awesome idea, and here it is, I hope you like it ;).  
_XxnejixtentenxZ,_Thanks  
_sexyinumama,_I'm so happy you liked the chapter, thanks again for the ideas.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

It was the middle of the night, and once again Neji couldn't fall asleep. For the past several weeks he had been unable to rest, plagued with thoughts of a certain bun-haired kunoichi on his team.

He has spent hours trying to fall asleep, and even with all the exhaustive hours of training he put in, he still couldn't seem to lull himself to bed. As he began to grow frustrated, and the moon began to rise higher into the night's sky, the Hyuga genius decided that if he couldn't fall asleep, he would at least try to do something productive.

As he rose from his bed, he noticed a pad of paper and pen sitting invitingly open on his desk. He moved towards the corner of his room and sat down in front of the paper, turning on a small desk lamp and began to write.

_As sleep now alludes me,  
I can't help be perplexed.  
What is it that torments me,  
And keeps slumber at bay?_

_I have seen many nightmares;  
Lost many lives;  
Yet these aren't the reasons,  
Behind my unrest._

_My mind is unsettled,  
My sleep is disturbed;  
I can't grasp this affliction,  
That won't let me be still._

_Each moment I wake,  
This sensation consumes me;  
My senses are clouded,  
All reason deserts me._

_I'm not sure when it started  
Perhaps the moment I met her.  
Those warm, caring eyes,  
That unmistakable hair._

_Though I try to deny it  
The truth is quite evident.  
It is for her whom I smile  
For she is the sole reason._

_No other flower  
could ever compare  
To the one  
Who robs me of my rest._

_Though my pride won't allow it,  
For I'm not open like her,  
My heart can no longer  
Be silenced from saying,  
That this person is you._

_With all of my being,  
I love you Tenten._

_ --Neji  
_

Neji rose from his desk, quickly placing the piece of paper inside of his robes. He opened the window to his room and swiftly into the night, made his way through the dark streets. With determination in his spirit, he sped through the village towards the apartment of a certain kunoichi, who had stolen his heart.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N:**Okay, first off, I'm not going to apologize for this chapter being short. This is primarily because, Hello! It's tough coming up with a lot sometimes. But mostly because it's a poem, so obviously it wasn't going to be my usual 1000plus words. Besides, this whole collection of one-shots was supposed to be short anyway (not 100 word drabbles mind you, but still within 700 to 1000 words was the idea, but the last few chapters have been about 2000 to 3000... Not that I'd stop myself if I were inspired to write that much, but the point is, I'm not going to feel bad if someone tells me "it's too short"… I've noticed people review like that, and it doesn't really borther me, since I generally ignore it anyway... I'm sure the person means no harm by that, but I do feel bad from some writers whom I know it takes them a long time to write and sometimes it's hard to write a lot, and I feel if a story or chapter is good, it doesn't matter how many words it has…but that's just me… so yeah.. That's my little rant for the day…)

Secondly, I am delightfully amused that so many people responded to a story I didn't think was all that great to begin with (I'm refering to the last chapter of course). I did think it was cute, but like I said before, not one of my favorites, yet of all my stories and chapters, it's one of my most reviewed chapters (which isn't saying much, sadly, but I'm still very grateful nonetheless). Thanks again to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I love you all!!! I have thousands of hits on these stories but very few reviews so I'm always happy to hear from people. **:D**

And lastly, about this one. I actually really liked how this turned out. It was a bit challenging at the beginning because I kept having to remind myself that I was supposed to stay in character, while still being a poem. And well, poetry is all about emotions, and Neji isn't really known for showing his emotions. So obviously I had to find some sort of middle ground. I hope I accomplished that, and didn't go too OOC... Please review and let me know what you think, thanks in advanced.


	9. Green spandex

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

**Chapter summary**: As Lee runs off somewhere, Neji and Tenten discuss where Gai gets those green jumpsuits.

* * *

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
GREEN SPANDEX  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

"But Tenten-san." The bowl-headed young man, clad in a green jumpsuit, protested, "I am certain that your youth would be exponentially improved if you were to join Gai-sensei and I and wear it." Lee confidently assured the kunoichi, holding up a green spandex jumpsuit much like his own.

With Gai away on a solo mission, and Neji running late due to a Hyuga family meeting, Tenten and Lee were the only ones at Team Gai's usual training area. They had arrived moments early and decided to spar with one another until Neji arrived, but as Tenten soon discovered, Lee liked to talk as he trained.

"Green's just not my color Lee." Tenten explained, trying not to cringe at the thought of once again being faced with the hideous outfit Gai had long ago offered to her.

"But if you wear it, Gai-sensei would be so happy." Lee replied. "And I am certain that if you were to wear it, Neji-kun would not object to wearing his suit as well." The boy optimistically beamed at the concept.

"I don't think so Lee." Tenten replied; attempted to hide the smirk that the thought of Neji in one of those ridiculous jumpsuits promoted.

"Oh I am certain of it!" Lee exclaimed, as he waved the green jump suit in front of the kunoichi.

"Umm…" Tenten looked around nervously. "Shouldn't Neji be here by now?" She asked; changing the subject. "Maybe we should go look for him." She said as she began hurriedly walking toward the direction of the Hyuga compound.

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

The Hyuga meetings seemed to be getting longer and longer each and every time, as well as becoming more and more boring. Neji had never really been one for family gatherings, but since he was a branch member (albeit one with many main house privileges), he wasn't allowed to skip them. As he stood watching the head of the clan begin to wrap up the ceremony (that all meetings inevitably became), a sigh of relief over came him at the thought that at least now he'd be able to make it to training.

_CRASH_

"Lee!" Neji heard the voice of his female teammate shout accusingly after the loud crash that broke the ever present silence of the Hyuga compound.

"NEJI-KUN!!!" A loud boisterous voice from the direction of the compound's main gates called out to him.

'_What now_?' Neji immediately stood; acting as unemotional as ever under the intense scrutiny of the Hyuga elders as they turned an accusing eye on him.

"Hiashi-sama…" Neji spoke in a calm tone, as he addressed the leader of the clan.

"Go and see to that." Hiashi replied before Neji even had the chance to ask for his permission to be dismissed.

"Hai." He quickly moved toward the commotion, where Hyuga branch members, who had been left out of the meeting to stand as guards, were quickly gathering.

"Hey, get off of him!" Neji heard the bun-hair kunoichi yell out as she pushed a guard off of Lee. '_She really shouldn't baby him_.' Neji thought as he looked upon his two teammates. '_He'll never learn to act properly if she's always keeping him from trouble he rightly deserves_.'

"YOSH! THANK YOU OH DELICATE FLOWER." Lee responded, as he picked himself off the ground, where two Hyuga members had been holding him down.

"Lee." Neji's voice came calmly as he approached the two.

"NEJI-KUN!" Lee shouted happily, forgetting that only moment's ago he was being pounded to the ground. "WHY WERE YOU SO LATE IN ARRIVING TO TRAINING TODAY? OUR PRECIOUS FLOWER WAS VERY CONCERNED, IT'S NOT AT ALL LIKE YOU TO MISS TRAINING." Lee explained, as Tenten stood behind him attempting to hide a light blush, but Neji spotted it nonetheless. '_She was concerned_?' Neji thought as he fought to urge to smirk.

"Lee." Tenten scolded agitatedly, "I already told you that Neji was in a meeting, that's why we were supposed to wait outside." She turned to Neji, "Sorry Neji, he got carried away again." She smiled apologetically.

"Hn." Neji merely began walking out; knowing Tenten would understand this to mean that she should follow him. And of course, she did; dragging Lee along with her.

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

"PLEASE… NEJI-KUN?…." Lee begged, waving something back and forth in front of the Hyuga prodigy.

"No!" Neji firmly replied, as the three of them sat in a circle eating their late lunch.

They had been training for the past few hours since the moment Lee broke down the door of the Hyuga compound, in his attempt at executing one of Gai-sensei's Dynamic entries. When the three sat down to take their break and eat, Lee had accidentally pulled out the green spandex suit that he'd been offering Tenten earlier in the day, and immediately jumped at the opportunity to offer it to Neji.

"IT WOULD ALLOW YOU TO TRAIN TO YOUR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL!" Lee urged.

"Hn." Neji refused to look up at the green article of clothing Lee waved in front of him.

"AND TENTEN HAS ALREADY AGREED TO WEAR IT IF YOU WOULD!" Lee informed the white eyed genius, who curiously turned his gaze on the weapon's mistress.

At this, Tenten, who had been quietly suppressing the giggles that the image of Neji in green spandex had conjured, quickly stood to attention.

"When did I agree to that?!" Tenten shouted as she jumped to her feet.

"Right before we left to pick up Neji." Lee calmly informed her.

"Oh… right." Tenten sheepishly smiled.

She had promised to wear it if Neji did as well, but she'd only said it because she was certain that the Hyuga prodigy would never agree to such a thing. "But Lee… you only have one suit, so we can't possibly both wear the same suit. What; do you want us to both get in it?" She abruptly stopped, slightly blushing at her words.

Neji quirked his eyebrows at the imagine Tenten's statement had conjured in his head. '_Stop it_.' He scolded himself.

"I'll be right back!" Lee got up and ran out of their training grounds at full speed, leaving the other two members of team Gai staring at his retreating figure.

"Umm…" Tenten stared nervously at her lap. "So um… Neji…" She smiled shyly.

"Hn?" Neji turned to face her, attempting to shake the hormone driven images that her earlier words had conjured, out of his mind.

"You would never actually agree to wear that would you?" Tenten cautiously asked, hopeful he'd cool her doubts; she certainly didn't want to wear one of those outfits.

"No." Neji responded. Although the thought of seeing Tenten in a skin tight outfit, instead of her usual baggy clothes was somewhat of a tempting offer, but still he would never… '_Not a chance_.' Neji repeated to himself.

"Good." She exhaled in relief. "I wonder where Lee took off to." Tenten asked herself out loud.

"Probably to Gai-sensei's house." Neji answered her.

"Come to think of it, I wonder where Gai sensei gets all these suits. I heard he even gave one to Naruto once." Tenten said.

"He probably has boxes of the hideous outfit." Neji reasoned.

"Yeah, I'm sure you're right." Tenten replied. "But I do wonder where they come from."

"Hn." Neji couldn't care less where the green abominations came from, so long as they quickly disappeared.

"Maybe Gai-sensei makes them himself." Tenten suggested.

"When would he have the time, he's a Jounin, there isn't much free time in between missions." Neji replied, pointing out the flaw in Tenten's reasoning, though still indulging the girl in her obvious amusement at discussing their sensei's odd choice of dress.

"Or maybe little green men come at night and stitch the outfits together." Tenten giggled, obviously enjoying herself.

"Hn." Neji smirked in amusement at his sparring partner's wild imagination.

"Or maybe Gai-sensei's skin is green and his sheds each night, and the green spandex are his old skins." Tenten giggled some more.

"That would mean he's been walking around undressed." Neji pointed out, trying not to shudder as visibly as Tenten at the thought.

"You're right. That's gross." Tenten replied. Though he hadn't shown it, Tenten always knew what was going on behind Neji's cold exterior, and she could see that even though he'd normally never participate in such a childish conversation, he was nonetheless enjoying himself as well.

"Perhaps he's secretly a professional gymnast." Neji offered, wishing to move on from the unpleasant imagine.

"Or a ballerina!" Tenten excitedly added, "and he's too busy between missions and ballet to take off his leotard." she added, remembering Neji's early observation that a jounin wouldn't have that much free time.

"Perhaps a circus acrobat." Neji suggested, enjoying himself as he and Tenten went further and further into their insane discussion of what their sensei did in his free time.

"Yeah. Definitely circus acrobat-clown." Tenten giggled.

Neji arched his eyebrows, holding back a chuckle. '_Gai-sensei is definitely clown material_.'

"And all the green spandex are his extra or discarded outfits." Tenten laughed some more.

'_She looks so beautiful._' Neji thought as he watched Tenten laughing.

"YOSH! I'M BACK!" Lee exclaimed as he jumped down from a tree, carrying two green leotards, landing next to his other two teammates who were still laughing amusingly at their recent discussion.

Neji returned to his usual stoic persona, regaining his composure. '_Only she can make me act so unlike myself_.' He mused as he watched Tenten try to stop her laughter.

"Hey Lee." Tenten stopped laughing and turned towards the bowl-haired boy. "Do you know if Gai-sensei can dance?"

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
THE END  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**


	10. Stupid Mutt

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Before anyone goes off and gets mad, I just want to say I LOVE KIBA... after Kakashi and Neji, he's my third favorite (along with Shikamaru)

**REVIEWS: ****eee!!! This is my most reviewed chapter ever!!! LOVE YOU. 'does happy dance' :D (oh how easily I'm amused… hehehe).**

**Kayarin** : Thank you, Glad you enjoyed them. ;)  
**babygurl1012** : Thanks... Can't wait to see your story...  
**Shadeehue** : Thanks! Well if you have any ideas later on, feel free to send them through.  
**Sony89** : Thanks, me too!... lol  
**sexyinumama** : Thanks! Yeah, I'm right there with you... still trying to wash the image of a naked Gai out of my mind... eek... the nightmares... lol  
**ForgottenLovedOne** : Thanks! Glad you enjoyed.  
**Kunoichi-of the-Leaf **: Thank you for the review... those make ME feel special... lol  
**Oblivion Shadowc**: Tremendousl.. now that's a good word... :D Thanks!  
**Nara Temari** : DOUBLE THANKS!!!... thanks for reviewing both this and the last chapter! you're awesome!!!  
**imuzuok** : Thanks. I really had fun writing this. :D

**And just for getting my reviews into the double digits, I hurried to write this next chapter… well that and the fact that my whole city is burning and I didn't have to go to school yesterday or today… or tomorrow either… Yay!… but mostly it was you guys! Thanks… **

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**NEJI's POV (sort of) **_

Neji was frustrated. No, he was more than frustrated; he was PISSED. How dare that good for nothing mutt drool all over Tenten; _HIS_ Tenten. If it were possible to kill a person with a mere thought, the Inuzuka boy would have died on the spot as soon as he gave Tenten one of his wolfish grins.

"Aww, you're so cuuuute!" Tenten uncharacteristically squealed as she knelt down onto the forest floor. Neji almost visibly flinched at the words; ALMOST.

_BARK BARK BARK_

"He thinks you're pretty cute too." Kiba smirked, watching as Akamaru licked Tenten's face with great enthusiasm.

_Stupid Mutt. _Neji scowled, watching as the three before him smiled happily at one another.

"Such a charmer." Tenten giddily replied, referring to the dog in front of her, of course. However, Neji couldn't help but notice the flirtatious look she gave the dog-boy.

At age 17, the Inuzuka had grown to be rather tall and very muscular. He was known for being the village's biggest flirt, aside from Yamanaka Ino of course, and had a string of fan girls the likes that neither Neji or the Uchiha had ever seen in their younger days. That's not to say that Neji didn't still have a horde of fan girls running after him, or that he hadn't grown to be tall and muscular, but like all Hyuga's he was more lean than buff, whereas Kiba had grown almost as big as his oversized dog, often being referred to as having the body of a God. (1)

"I think Akamaru really likes you." Kiba informed the kunoichi, giving her yet another lop-sided grin.

"I really like him too." She smiled at the Inuzuka before turning back to the giant puppy, "Aren't you just the most adorable wittle bwaby." she cooed.

_Arf Ark Arf_

"Akamaru always loves baby talk." Kiba chuckled as he watching the white dog bounce up and down in front of Tenten.

"Aww cuuute." Tenten continued cooing at the giant dog.

"Maybe you can join Akamaru and me for one of our walks some day." Kiba flirtingly suggested.

_Growl…_

"Neji?" Tenten turned to face the white eyed prodigy. "Did you just growl?" Tenten and Kiba both stared at the Byakugan user.

"No." Neji replied through clenched teeth. "Did. You. Need. Something. Inuzuka?" he angrily glared at the shinobi who had interrupted the two teammate's spar.

"Oh yeah!" Kiba playfully hit himself on the head, remembering what he'd come for in the first place, "Tsunade-sama asked me to bring you two to her office. I think she has a mission for us." he informed them.

"A mission? The three of us?" Tenten asked, stunned.

Usually Neji and Tenten were teamed up with Gai and Lee, and Kiba was most always teamed up with Hinata at least, and regularly with Shino and Kurenai.

_ARF_!

"The four of us." Kiba corrected.

"Oh right, the four of us." Tenten smiled down apologetically towards Akamaru.

"Hn." Neji grunted. He was NOT happy.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Oh good, you made it." Tsunade looked up from the pile of paper work in front of her.

"Hai." the three shinobi stood at attention before their village leader.

"I have a mission for the three of you." Tsunade began, "You're to go into Earth country to pick up some scrolls and then quickly return to Konoha with them. This would normally be a C rank mission, but because you're retrieving these documents from inside an enemy nation's borders, it's been elevated to a B ranked mission. Neji will be leading this operation, being the highest ranking member. You leave in an hour. Be safe."

"Hai!" the three quickly departed to prepare for the mission, after agreeing to meet in at the front gates.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Well that was easier than I thought it'd be." Tenten said, as the three ninja and dog leapt through the forest trees.

"Hn." Neji grunted, none too happy that Kiba had been flirting away with Tenten the entire mission.

"Yeah, we should team up more often!" Kiba smiled at the kunoichi from behind Akamaru's back. "We make a great team." he winked at the older girl.

"That's true, with your nose and Neji's eyes, we were pretty unstoppable!" Tenten agreed, without acknowledging the wink, though Neji had seen it very clearly from ahead of them.

"Don't forget your weapons!" Kiba added. "You're pretty unstoppable yourself." he grinned. "You're going to have to tutor me with my aim one of these days." he added.

"Sure, any time." Tenten beamed. "But I've got to say, your nose and the byakugan really do work well together. Right Neji?" she asked the silent figure running in front of her.

"Hn." he replied.

Neji hated to admit it, but it was true; Kiba's nose could pick up thinks that Neji's eyes couldn't, and vise-versa. They did make a good team. _No wonder Tsunade-sama always pairs dog boy up with Hinata-sama._ Neji thought irritably. It still didn't excuse why Tsunade had paired the mutt up with him and Tenten, after all it was all the Hokage's fault Kiba kept hitting on _his_ Tenten.

"Oi, Hyuga, you shouldn't be so glum, we succeeded on the mission, you should be happy." Kiba exclaimed.

"_We_ always succeed." Neji coldly replied. And by 'we', he meant himself and Tenten of course.

"Don't worry about it Kiba, Neji's always like that during missions, but he'll loosen up as soon as we get through the village gates." Tenten reassured him.

" 'Loosen up?' " Kiba gave her a curious look, "You mean Hyuga actually knows how to loosen up?" he started laughing, as if he'd just made the funniest joke in the world.

_Idiot!_ Neji scoffed, ignoring the laughter until he realized Tenten was giggling with him too.

Suddenly Neji stopped in his tracks, followed shortly by the rest of his companions.

"Something wrong?" Tenten asked in a hushed tone.

"Nah! I would have smelt it." Kiba replied for the prodigy.

"It's late." Neji responded, ignoring the younger shinobi. "We should rest."

"Oh." Tenten looked around. It **had **gotten late, and she'd failed to notice. "I guess I got a little distracted talking, that the time just flew by." she reasoned.

"Yeah that happens." Kiba smirked. "So lets set up camp then." He moved down to the forest floor and began unpacking his supplies.

"Okay." Tenten moved down and began assembling her tent.

After a few minutes, with the tents up and the traps set, the three shinobi sat around the camp fire eating the meals they'd each brought.

"So how long do you think it'll be before we're back Neji?" Tenten asked

"We should be back in two days time." Kiba replied before Neji could.

"Hn." Neji grunted. Tenten knew this meant yes in Neji speak.

"We're already back in Fire country though, right?" Tenten asked, "So that means we probably won't be running into any enemy ninja out here, right?"

"That's right." Neji replied, before finishing up his meal.

"Okay." Tenten nodded her head, relieved that she could at least relax a little more knowing they weren't in enemy territory.

"Hey Tenten." Kiba called out to get the girl's attention as he finished feeding Akamaru some meat. "There's a river not far from here if you want to wash up."

"Are you implying I smell bad?" Tenten replied in mock annoyance.

"Well I don't know…" Kiba smiled slyly. "Let me take a whiff." he replied as he made his way closer towards the bun-haired kunoichi, at which the girl merely giggled. "Nah, you smell pretty good actually." the younger boy whispered huskily next to Tenten's ear, but still loud enough for Neji to hear.

"If you intend to bathe you should go now." Neji spoke up, breaking the flirtatious air about them.

"Oh right, we've got to get up early tomorrow." Tenten stood up and gathered her supplies, "Which way?" she asked.

"Twenty yards to the Northeast." Neji responded, for once cutting off Kiba.

"Okay thanks, I won't be long." She waved before sprinting off in the direction Neji had indicated.

As soon as Tenten was out of sight, Neji turned his icy glare onto Kiba. There was a murderous aura emanating from the young genius. Almost immediately Akamaru began barking loudly, causing Kiba to turn and face the prodigy.

"What's your problem?" Kiba looked at the older shinobi.

"Stop. It." Neji said through clenched teeth.

"Nani? Stop what?" Kiba arched an eyebrow curiously.

"Whatever you're planning with Tenten." Neji growled, "Stop. It." he intensified his glare on the younger boy.

"And just why should I do that?" Kiba smirked, a challenging look in his feral eyes.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Umm… Guys?…" Tenten looked back and forth between the two males.

She had just returned from the river where she had just finished a relaxing bath. Upon returning to their campsite, she was surprised to find both of her male companions in disarray. Their clothes were torn and each was covered in bruises, cuts, and scratches.

After surveying the scene to verify it hadn't been an enemy attack, Tenten moved her gaze over to her sparring partner. With the exception of a few scratches and slightly disheveled hair, he looked to be unaffected as he sat quietly meditating against a tree. On the other side of the camp, Kiba and Akamaru did not look as unfazed as Neji. Akamaru seemed to have mostly superficial wounds, no doubt from attempting to defend Kiba, while Kiba looked nearly beaten to a pulp as he lay slumped over the whimpering Akamaru.

_Poor Kiba, he really should have known better than to challenge **my**Neji._ Tenten shook her head as she moved towards the injured dog and his master, all the while completely oblivious to Neji's jealous glare.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) I was going to put "greek god" you know, all tall, tan and muscular, but this is Japan… didn't want to mix cultures…

**A/N**:… hehehe… I LOVE Kiba-kun… don't get me wrong, this was totally not a bashing-Kiba story… but come on, he's so perfect to portray the playboy type, so I just had to use him… I'm so sorry he got beat up, maybe Hinata can help heal his wounds. :D

Okay well… it wasn't what I had originally envisioned, but since I wrote this up all in a few hours, I don't think it was all that bad… Sorry if you were expecting action and I gave you none… if you've ever read any of my other stories, you know I tend to gloss over the action parts… I'm just not good at it… although I think I did a fairly good job on the Itsu and Soraoi fight scenes… (right before I hade them both get knocked out and wake up in the hospital… ehehe 'looks around shifty eyed')

OK, and just in case it wasn't clear... the reason Tenten was "flirty" with Kiba... actually she was just being nice (hence why she went to help Kiba at the end instead of Neji, who she felt didn't need it)... also remember that a lot of this kind of stemed form Neji's POV... and he interpreted a lot of her friendliness as flirtatiousness.

**PLEASE REVIEW…**


	11. HAPPY HALLOWEEN

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone, I apologize if it's a little rushed, but I really wanted to get it done by Halloween, and unfortunately I have a ton of school work, and exams are quickly approaching… so sorry… I hope you like it anyway… :D

-REVIEWS**: -**

**ForgottenLovedOne**: DOUBLE Thanks for the two reviews! ;)  
**Shadeehue**: lol... yeah Kiba should have known better... Tenten was just being nice... Thanks for the review. ;)  
**babygurl1012**: aww thanks... well I had a lot of fun writing that one up... Kiba's one of my favorites... later on I'll do one with Shika or Kakashi... they're my other favorites.. :D  
**Nara Temari**: I know, Jealous and Pervy Neji are so my faves... lol.. thanks for the review.  
**Sony89**: Yeah, Kiba is awesome... lol thanks for reviewing.  
**XxnejixtentenxZ**: oooh... you're awesome... double reviews DOUBLE thanks !!!  
**ILuvNeji77**: another DOUBLE thanks... lol... yup yup yup... Jealous Neji and Playboy Kiba are so fun... :D  
**Kunoichi-of the-Leaf**: lol.. thanks, yeah, Jealous Neji's so cute... lol...thanks for the review :)  
**SnowCharms**: Yes, well Kiba's just so perfect as the flirt... i think he would never stop to think "must not hit on scary/violent guy's girl"... lol... then again he may have done it as revenge on Neji for beating Hinata up... but if that's the case, he most definitely did not think things through at all...

-SPECIAL THANKS!!!-

**noinnocentvictim**and**gray-0sno0-bunny**, for adding these stories to their C2s' THANKS!!!

-DEDICATION**-**

Though this one was one of my ideas, I still want to dedicate this one-shot to **ILuvNeji77**, for not only being a great sounding board for ideas and other stuff, but also because through our exchange of PM, I got this idea a few weeks ago… so thanks for inspiring the story ;).

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"So you're coming right?" Sakura asked Tenten and Neji as they two walked out of the Hokage tower.

"Umm… sure." Tenten replied, looking over to Neji who seemed rather uninterested.

"Neji?" Sakura probed.

"Hn." Neji grunted before continuing to walk towards Team Gai's training grounds without looking back.

"Guess that means yes?" Sakura asked unsure, as she watched Neji walk away.

"Don't worry about it, I'll talk to him." Tenten smiled reassuringly, before running to catch up to her sparring partner.

"DON'T FORGET, IT'S A COSTUME PARTY!" Sakura shouted out, before the two disappeared into the trees.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"So what are you going to dress up as?" Tenten asked Neji; the two teammates sat at the base of a large tree, eating the lunch they had brought with them.

"Hn." Neji replied, a slight hint of annoyance in his usual response.

"Yeah, I agree, it's a complete bother to have to come up with a costume the day before the big event." Tenten replied.

Having been friends with Neji for so many years since they'd been teamed up in the same squad, she'd learned to decipher the many grunts and one syllable responses. Now that all three members of Team Gai were Jounin, Tenten practically new what Neji was thinking, sometimes even before Neji himself knew.

"…" Neji sighed, staring into the clouds.

"Yeah, I wish I didn't have to go either, but Sakura said that the Hokage was throwing it and all of the most important people in the shinobi community will be there." Tenten bit her lip thinking about what that meant.

"Hn." Neji furrowed his brow, also seemingly contemplating the same thing as Tenten.

"The head of ANBU is going to be there…" Tenten said thoughtfully.

""Hn." Neji arched an eyebrow, questioning Tenten's train of thought.

"Well, you've been trying to get in for a while now, and everyone KNOWS you belong in ANBU, but they're very selective, and it couldn't hurt to socialize with the head of the organization for a while; you know, network." Tenten suggested.

"…" Neji sighed. Of course he knew she was right; though his strengths had never been in socializing, he was well aware that, as in any industry, moving up in the shinobi world also required knowing the right people; it probably would be a good idea to go to the Hokage's ridiculous costume party.

"Then it's settled." Tenten stood up, looking down at Neji who sat cross-legged staring up at his teammate. "Now, lets go find the perfect costume!"

"Huh?" Neji's eye's grew to the size of Lee's, as his Tenten grabbed his hand and began pulling him towards the village; their packs long forgotten.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"OH DEAREST FLOWER OF TEAM GAI, HOW LOVELY YOU LOOK IN THAT BEAUTIFUL COSTUME!" Lee shouted in the costume shop, having spotted Neji and Tenten entering the small shop.

Tenten stood before a full length mirror, looking at the gypsy outfit she had picked out for herself. Unlike most gypsy costumes that revealed a large portion of ones torso, Tenten had opted for a more conservative look, covering her entire body, except for her eyes.

"What are you doing here Lee?" Tenten asked the overly energetic Jounin.

"I AM HERE TO PICK UP MY COSTUME FOR THE BIG PARTY TOMORROW NIGHT." Lee replied, before giving his best 'good guy' pose, ping and all.

"Hn." Neji smirked.

"Neji!" Tenten scolded the prodigy under her breath, understanding what that smirk meant. (1) Tenten turned to Lee, "So what are you dressing up as?" she asked.

"I CANNOT SAY, IT IS A SURPRISE." Lee replied, with a blinding smile, before picking up the wrapped costume, and dashing out after paying for it.

"I wonder what he'll be." Tenten asked after Lee exited the store.

"A clown." Neji replied.

"WHAT?!?!" Tenten turned, wide-eyed towards the Hyuga prodigy.

"Hn?" Neji stared at the girl curiously, wondering about her reaction.

"C-clown?" Tenten stuttered.

"What's wrong?" Neji asked.

"N-nothing." Tenten replied, looking around nervously.

"Tenten…" Neji began.

"Oh look! This will be prefect for you!" Tenten picked up a blue prince charming costume.

"…" Neji's right brow shot up, before quickly being replaced by a slight smirk. The Hyuga calmly walked over to the other side of the room and picked up a frilly pink princess dress.

"Oh no, no, no." Tenten shook her head aggressively. "I don't think so."

"..." Neji continued smirking at the bun-haired kunoichi.

"But…" She looked at Neji with her best puppy dog eyes; but against the Hyuga's stern glare, she knew it was hopeless. Either she wore the puffy pink abomination, or he wouldn't go. "Fine." she sighed dejectedly.

"…" Neji's eyes smiled cheerfully for his victory, but also because it meant he'd get to see Tenten in a dress. As Tenten turned towards the changing room to change back to her normal clothes, Neji proceeded to the checkout counter with their costumes in hand.

"The things I do for you, Hyuga." Tenten sighed to herself, as she change out of the gypsy costume she had originally liked.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Neji-nii-san." Hinata called out from the other side of Neji's door. "Father asked me to tell you we will be leaving soon."

Neji moved toward his door. "I'm ready." he replied, stepping out into the hall in his Prince Charming costume. Hinata gasped at the image; though is face seemed to be as emotionless as ever, the costume seemed to soften Neji's features, giving him a more approachable appearance.

"Tenten-san did a good job picking out your costume, Neji-nii-san." Hinata complimented; a knowing smile on her face.

"…" Neji blinked a few times, wondering how Hinata had known his teammate had been the one to pick out his costume. "Thank you. Hinata-sama." he finally replied, accepting the compliment on his attire.

The two cousins swiftly moved to join the rest of the rest of their party, who were all gathered at the front gates of the Hyuga compound, all dressed up in elaborate costumes. As soon as everyone saw Neji and Hinata approach, a murmur quietly passed through the crowd. Hinata's red cape and dress(2), looked nice on her, but it was Neji's prince charming costume that impressed everyone, it really did seem to suit him.

"Very well, let's be off." A vampire Hashi ordered as everyone began walking towards to the Halloween party.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The party went into full swing early in the evening, with all the shinobi of the village present, as it was a celebration for only the ninja of the hidden leaf. After the Hokage welcomed everyone and gave a small address to those present, the lights dimmed and they all began to enjoy the party.

"Hey forehead!" a shrill voice called out from behind the pink haired kunoichi, dressed in a blue checkered skirts and white blouse. She was holding a picnic basket, and Kiba, who was currently in a corner of the room dressed as a wolf, had lent her one of his families non-ninja puppies to compete her costume, though the said dog was fast asleep in the girls basket.(3)

"Hey Ino-pig!" Sakura turned to face the blond, who was wearing a frilly baby blue dress, white bonnet and carrying a long shepherdess staff. (4)

"Nice costume." Ino smiled.

"Thanks." Sakura smiled, "Your's too. Where are your sheep?" she looked around for the blonds' two teammates.

"Oh, don't even mention those two idiot!" Ino huffed angrily, "Choji decided to dress up as a LAMB chop! And Shikamaru got so lazy on his costume that he ended up looking like a big puffy cloud!" (5)

"Well, at least they were sort of close" Sakura giggled at the images in her mind.

"Yeah, well at least you got your team to cooperate." Ino looked over at the Lion, Tin-man and Scarecrow on the other side of the room.

"Well of course." Sakura smiled wickedly. (6)

"Hey, is that Neji over there?" Ino pointed to the figure in blue.

"I think so." Sakura gasped, "Wow, Neji looks really handsome."

"Well he always looked good, but for some reason…" Ino stopped in the middle of her sentence as she saw a beautiful girl dressed in an elegant pink dress walk over to the white eyed prodigy. "Who is that?" she turned to Sakura.

"I don't know." Sakura replied after looking the girl in question over. "I thought we knew all the kunoichi in the village."

"Yeah…" Ino replied, still left wondering.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Hinata." Hashi addressed his daughter.

"Y-yes f-father?" Hinata responded, turning to face her father.

"Who is that young lady with your cousin?" Hashi asked.

"T-that's T-Tenten-san." Hinata replied. "Neji-nii-san's friend."

"…" Hashi remained unmoved, but Hinata could tell he was thinking deeply on some subject.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"See, I told you it would suit you." Tenten told Neji as she fixed his collar.

"Hn." Neji replied, knowing from the many approving looks he'd received and compliments that the girl had been right.

"You're welcome." Tenten smiled up at the Hyuga. "Now, over there," she pointed at a man dressed in a Samurai costume, "that's the head of ANBU." she informed him.

"…" Neji looked over at the man. He was a tall, muscular man, dressed in an elaborate samurai costume, with three swords. The man definitely looked the part.

"Okay, we'll walk over there and introduce ourselves, and then make small talk." Tenten told the young genius.

"Hn." Neji nodded.

"And none of those one syllable replies." Tenten scolded, "I don't mind it of course, but if we want your career to move forwards, you have to speak up. Once your in, you can go back to your usual stoic self."

"Fine." Neji replied, as the two began making their way towards the Samurai, all the while having dozens of eyes watching them cross the room.

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!" a loud crash followed the booming words.

As the rubble cleared, in the middle of the dance floor stood Gai in a Kakashi costume, only his usual bowl cut hair was spiked, clearing held up by many cans of hair stray. When the last of the dust finally lifted, Tenten let out an ear piercing scream.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!"

"Tenten?" Neji turned to the screaming girl next to him. "What's wrong?" he moved into a defensive position, ready to protect his friend and teammate.

Tenten pointed a shaking finger in Gai's direction. Neji turned to look at what, other than Gai in his ridiculous costume, had Tenten so scared. Behind Gai, his protégé stood in the most outrageous clown costume ever.

Fear was quickly replaced by an all out attack. In a split second, a barrage of metal began raining down on the brightly colored clown, as Tenten managed to pull out more weapons than even her puffy dress could have ever concealed.

"AHHH!!!" Lee and Gai yelled in unison as they attempted to avoid Tenten's lethal attack.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"You're scared of clowns?" Neji chuckled as he walked Tenten to her apartment.

"…" Tenten looked down at the floor, purposefully avoiding Neji's smirking eyes.

"I'm glad you weren't scared of me." Neji continued smirking.

"Hmm." Tenten attempted to suppress a smile.

"Poor Lee, he'll be in the hospital for weeks." a hint of amusement and pride in his voice.

"…" Tenten bit her lip nervously.

"Don't worry, he'll be okay." Neji reassured her.

"…" Tenten half smiled. She did feel bad about hurting Lee, but a few reassuring words from Neji made her feel a little better. "Thanks." she smiled.

"I'd say, **you**, at least, made a decent impression on the head of ANBU." Neji smirked.

"Oh, that's right." Tenten smacked herself on the head. "I'm so sorry Neji, I really didn't mean to ruin your chances." Tenten apologized.

"Don't worry about it. There will be other chances." Neji reassured her again, which made her feel better. "Besides, with you to help me, I'll be sure to make ANBU in no time."

"Oh of course, I'll make sure of it!" Tenten brightly replied.

"I have no doubt." Neji smiled. "You know…" he began.

"Yeah?" Tenten looked straight into his eyes, eagerly awaiting his next words.

"You'll make a good wife someday." Neji remarked, before leaning in and planting a chaste kiss on Tenten's lips.

"…" A bright blush covered Tenten's face.

"So practice, tomorrow?" Neji asked.

"Hn." he knew, of course, that meant 'Yes.'

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) Neji was thinking that Lee's always in a costume because of his "Gai outfit"… and of course Tenten knew that that was what he was thinking.

(2) Hinata was obviously little red riding hood… and with Kiba as the big bad wolf later on.

(3) Sakura is Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, which becomes evident when you see that Naruto is the Cowardly Lion, Sasuke is the Tin man, and Kakashi is (who else?) the scarecrow (lol)…(infer whatever you want… lol)

(4) Ino is little bo peep of course!

(5) hehehe… come one tell me that Shika and Cho's outfits weren't funny… lol

(6) of course she threatened to beat them to a pulp with her freaky strength, so they HAD to… lol

**A/N:** Sorry… the ending is a little… well not what I expected… and the whole point of the story was about Tenten being afraid of clowns, but somehow it turned into Tenten being concerned with Neji's future… I almost added a scene where Hashi tells Neji that she'd make a good wife at the end, but I ended up editing it and having Neji tell her one day she'd make a good wife… I thought it was cute… but I don't know… not what I'd been expecting… either way… it's fine… at least I'm done..

So HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone. I don't know when I'll be able to update next but I think I might do at least one more before finals… if not… Not until December 20th or so… If I do end up doing anything, they'll likely be short…

ONE MORE NOTE: if anyone would like to draw anything based on this story (or any other one for that matter)... I'll dedicate a chapter to you ;)... i think it'd be really cute to see either team 10 or team 7's costumes... of course Neji and Tenten in their costumes (not much description to go on, other than colors and general descript, but you can use your imagination)... Hinata as red riding hood and Kiba as the big bad wolf might be cute too.. lol...


	12. Do you?

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**DEDICATION: **This chapter is dedicated to **BleedingHeartHeiress **for reviewing all the way from chapter one ;) you're so awesome!!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
DO YOU?  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

It was in the early morning hours that Neji sat waiting in the middle of his team's training grounds. He was growing increasingly irritated that his usually punctual sparring partner was two hours late. At first he had worried that something may have happened to her, but knowing that Tenten was fully capable of taking care of herself, he began to grow increasingly angry. Though it was very unlike Tenten to bail on practice, this piece of information didn't much help to squash the Hyuga's growing fury.

As the rising sun's first rays began to paint the morning sky, Neji stood from his spot up against the tree; he had had enough. He quickly began making his way through the forest, headed straight for Tenten's house. Though he had been to Tenten's house a handful of times, usually only to walk her to the door, he always seemed to have trouble finding the place. The fact was, Tenten lived on the opposite side of Konoha from the Hyuga compound, an area Neji was not all too familiar with.

After searching tirelessly with his Byakugan, his eyes finally found a familiar house in what, he presumed, was the right neighborhood. As he approached the front door, he became certain that it was the house he had been searching for. He was within seconds of barging through the door in a fit of rage, but being the stoic Jounin that he was, he calmed himself enough to appear outwardly cool and collected. On the inside, his mind was clouded by the desire to break the door down and drag Tenten out of house to go training, but being the genius that he was, he didn't want to ruin his icy image by showing such intense emotion. Pushing his frustration down, he calmly knocked on the wooden door.

Neji could hear a pair of heavy footsteps on the other side of the door. Out of proper etiquette, he never used his byakugan to see into other rooms unless he were on a mission and it was a necessity; but even without his bloodline-limit, he knew those footsteps could not possibly belong to the petite Tenten.

The door opened and a man stood before Neji, a stern look on his face. "Who are you?" the man demanded in a deep and intimidating voice.

Neji was never one to be easily intimidated, but even he felt a slight sliver of fear run down his spin as he looked up at the looming figure before him. The man seemed to be taller than any one Neji had ever seen, easily a half a foot taller than even Jiraiya. The man had dark hair, piercing brown eyes, chiseled features, and a broad build. From the looks of him, Neji could surmise that the man was an experienced Shinobi, though he'd never seen the man before.

"Hyuga Neji." Neji responded, successfully recovering his initial apprehension. He wasn't sure what it was about the man, but there was something that made the usually fearless Hyuga, feel like a small timid child.

"Ryoku.(1) Leave the poor boy alone." a familiar voice called out from behind the man who stood almost as a human wall, completely covering the owner of the soft voice from Neji's line of sight.

"ffh." the giant man groaned before turning to face his wife.

"Oh, hello Neji-san." A petite Chinese woman walk forwards from behind the large shinobi.

"Good morning Mrs. Furi-iki." (2) Neji slightly bowed before the small woman.

"You know this boy, Xiu-Juan?" Ryoku asked the woman besides him.

"Of course," Xiu-Juan (3) smiled up at her husband. "This is Neji-san, Tennie's friend."

"Tenten's friend?" Ryoku intensified his glare on the young man outside his door. He'd known upon opening the door to the handsome youth that he didn't like the look of him, Ryoku just hadn't been sure why exactly that was… until now. "Tenten's not home." he informed the young man through clenched teeth.

"…" Neji tensed almost visibly.

"Please come in Neji-san." Xiu-Juan motioned for the boy to come in, moving her husband from blocking the door, "Tenten-chan will be back soon." she informed him, before pulling him in herself.

"Where did Tenten go?" Neji asked after sitting down at the breakfast table, where Xiu-Juan set a cup of tea before him and Ryoku.

"Tsunade-sama called her to her office early this morning." Xiu-Juan proudly replied.

"Hn." Neji took a sip of his tea.

"So tell me Neji." Ryoku's loud voice broke Neji away from his cup of tea. "How exactly do you know my daughter?"

"We're teammates." Neji responded almost automatically.

"So you've known each other a long time." Ryoku questioned, glaring intensely at the young Hyuga.

"Hai." Neji replied in the affirmative, trying not to be intimidated by the older shinobi's glare.

"Neji is the teammate Tennie trains with every day." Xiu-Juan informed her husband.

"Is that right?" Ryoku asked, a mixture of irritation and approval in his tone.

"Hai." Neji replied calmly.

"So you're the reason my little girl's out the door every morning at 4am?" Ryoku intensified his glare on the Hyuga.

"She's a very dedicated Kunoichi." Neji replied.

"That she is." Ryoku softened his gaze upon hearing Neji's complement.

"She takes after her father." Xiu-Juan informed Neji with a proud smile.

"Are you a weapon's master as well?" Neji inquired curiously; he'd often wondered where Tenten had learned to master her weapons so well.

"Hai." Ryoku smirked, "Although I'm certain my little Tenten-chan will be much more skilled than I am soon enough." he proudly beamed.

"Hn." A still silence fell upon the two as Neji contemplated this thought. Neji didn't know how talented Ryoku may have been, though from the look of him, the boy was certain he was no easy adversary, but he was certain the man spoke the truth; Tenten would indeed one day surpass the greatest weapon masters of all time, in that, Neji had no doubt.

"Do you have feelings for my daughter?" Ryoku asked, breaking the silence that had fallen upon the trio as Neji took a sip of his tea, losing himself in his inner thoughts.

"…" The cup Neji had been holding in his hand fell crashing down to the floor, shattering into tiny pieces as the young man remained frozen in place from the shock. Xiu-Juan immediately ran over to the broken cup and began pick up the pieces as Neji and Ryoku continued staring at one another; Ryoku, to see Neji's reaction to his question, and Neji out of sheer shock.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home." Tenten yelled out as she walked through the door. "Neji. What are you doing here?" she asked upon seeing the Hyuga.

"…" Neji broke from his trance, quickly turning to face Tenten.

"Oh no." Tenten gasped, "I'm soooo sorry Neji." she pleaded, "I completely forgot to have someone tell you about my meeting with the Hokage."

"Hn." Neji regained some of his usual composure.

"I'm sorry, I promise I'll make it up to you." Tenten did her best puppy dog eyes.

"Hn." Neji stood from his chair and politely bowed to Tenten's parents. "Thank you for the tea."

"You're welcome Neji-kun, come back anytime." Xiu-Juan smiled cheerfully, having already picked up the broken pieces of his forgotten cup.

"Yes Hyuga, it was a pleasure to meet you." Ryoku added.

"And you as well." Neji replied. He began walking towards the door. "Tenten."

"Oh, coming." she turned and followed the young man, "Bye, I'll see you later." she called out to her parents before walking out the door.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"So what'd you think?" Tenten asked, as the two teammates began their spar.

"About?" Neji asked, though he was certain he knew what the girl was referring to.

"That was the first time you met my father right?" Tenten asked.

"Hai." Neji responded, as he dodged a kunai.

"Well?" Tenten asked again, pulling out her scrolls.

"You resemble him." Neji replied, moving into a defensive pose.

"Really? Most people think I resemble my mom." Tenten replied, preparing to call out her first barrage of weapons.

"Hn." Neji smirked. It's true that physically Tenten resembled her petite mother, but he had seen her at her most intimidating, and that was something he definitely saw her inheriting from her father, whom was the only person besides Tenten who could send shivers down his spin.

"I think you made a good impression on him." Tenten replied.

"Hn." Neji grunted, but truthfully he really hoped that Ryoku had liked him, after all, he wouldn't want to have a man like that angry at him.

"So…" Tenten smirked, as she twirled a kunai between her fingers.

"…" Neji arched a perfectly chiseled brow indicating her was waiting for her to continue.

"Do you?" she simply asked.

"Do I?" Neji repeated, feeling slightly unnerved by Tenten's smirk and the fact that she was no longer paying attention to the spar, having dropped her weapons and began moving towards him.

"Do you?" Tenten smirked, inching closer towards him; the smirk never leaving her face.

"Do…" Neji suddenly froze, realizing what Tenten was asking. "Hn." (4)

"Well?…" she asked, looking directly into his eyes; the two mere inches apart.

Neji took the opportunity to lean in closer. They're eyes meeting for a brief moment before Neji closed the small gap between them and lowered his lips onto hers.

"I thought so." Tenten smiled after the two broke their kiss.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END (5)**_**  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) Ryoku means Strength and Power. I wanted to make the name fit the description of the intimidating man I was

(2) Furi means Free, Iki- means spirit… I don't know, I had the hardest time coming up with a last name for Tenten, I kept thinking Heaven and Earth would work, but Heaven kept coming up Ten, and come on, Tenten Ten… that's a little took much. So anyway… this will do.

(3) Chinese name that means Elegant and graceful.

(4) in case you didn't get it, she was asking Neji if he had feeling for her. So basically she had heard what Ryoku said before she walked in and interrupted.

(5) Not really since this story ended up being expanded in **WIND AND DRAGON**

**A/N:**Ummm… I'm not so sure how I feel about this… it was initially supposed to be a oneshot of Tenten's dad being a little over protective and not liking Neji all that much… but then it turned into this… You know what, I might end up rewriting this a little and making it into a longer chapter story… but not until I have more time… for now I'll be a oneshot…


	13. Thankful

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N:**I was going to wait til the 100th review to submit a new story to dedicate the chapter to that person, but I wanted to get this thanksgiving (ish) themed story out on thanksgiving, so… here it is.. I just finished writing it up… took me all of two hours… and I apologize if it's not in my usual style, but I just finished 2 weeks of writing a legal brief and my head's still kind of in legal writing mode… lol… but honestly I think it's pretty good… please read and review. :D

_**REVIEWS: Thank you so much to the following readers for reviewing, I always appreciate what you all have to say about the stories, please keep them coming. :D**_

anythingrandom  
BleedingHeartHeiress  
SnowCharms  
-kyuubi11-  
Kunoichi-of the-Leaf  
Nichi Nara  
catilena1890  
ILuvNeji77  
Sony89  
imuzuok  
Shadeehue  
demona013

_**DEDICATION:**I'd like to dedicate this story to EVERYONE who reads and reviews it… :D thank you all so much for that, you keep me going… and to those of you who've sent in story ideas, I don't know how long it will be, since finals are very quickly approaching, but I am working on a few of them (there will be a sequel to the last one with Neji asking for Tenten's hand, and there's a singing Tenten one that's practically done, and just for you Imuzuok, I will dedicate an entire chapter to trying to see how many times I can make them kiss in one story.. Lol). Thanks again everyone._

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

THANKFUL

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The dark streets of Konoha were empty. It was late in the evening hours, twilight not far away. A lone shadow sat poised on the rail of a bright red bridge sitting solidly over the river that crossed through the village. It was a chilly autumn night, the lonely figure shivered as a icy breeze ran past her.

Tenten watched as the water rushed below her. She'd always loved that spot in the village, something about the running water always seemed to calm her. There was an elegant power to the rushing of the stream beneath her, reflecting the proud moon above.

The holiday season was quickly approaching, and as always, memories of days long past drifted into the young kunoichi's thoughts. It had been on a night similar to this one that Tenten had heard the fateful knock at her door. She had been very young, living alone with her father. He had been a brave and strong shinobi, and Tenten had always been proud to be his daughter, though he had never really acted as an affectionate father would. It wasn't that he didn't love her, Tenten could tell that he did, and there were even moments when he allowed his guard down and showed her his tender side, but those moments were few and far between. Most times, he was distant towards her, barely even bothering to look at her.

Tenten had never known her mother; she had died giving birth to her, and for the longest time, Tenten had believed her father blamed her for it, though he never once said it. Tenten had often wondered what kind of woman her mother was. When she was younger she'd often ask her father about her, but he would never talk about her, or about their life together; he would never even mention her name. There were no pictures or reminders of her mother, and for many years Tenten didn't even know what the woman looked like.

None of the villagers ever spoke of her either, and often Tenten wondered if she'd ever even had a mother. It wasn't until she was old enough to understand, that she realized the silence was pain. It wasn't that her father was trying to keep her in the dark, he just couldn't bring himself to think about the woman he had loved; it caused him too much pain. He had dedicated himself body and soul to the way of the shinobi, becoming one of the most respected members of ANBU, all as an effort to forget about the pain he felt inside. The villagers who had known her mother had chosen to remain silent about her out of respect for her father's pain. But no one ever realized the pain it caused Tenten to not know anything about her mother.

At the age of five, Tenten had found a hidden picture of her mother. She knew it was her mother without anyone telling her because the picture was of a woman who looked exactly identical to Tenten, except a few years older. It was then that Tenten realized that it wasn't that he father couldn't stand to look at her because he blamed her for her mother's death, it was that he couldn't stand to look at her because she reminded him so much of the woman he had loved and lost.

Little by little, Tenten had pieced together the memory of her mother. She had been a kunoichi; a motivating factor in Tenten's desire to join the academy and become the greatest kunoichi in the village's history. Though she had often said she wanted to be as strong as lady Tsunade, the truth was, it was her mother whom she most wanted to be like. She had joined the academy in hopes that if she walked through the same halls her mother had, she might feel closer to her.

During her years in the academy, Tenten would often find herself sitting in a desk, wondering if her mother had sat there too; practicing on a target, wondering if her mother had chucked a kunai at the very tree she'd just struck. Sure enough, though she had never met the woman, Tenten had felt closer to her, and by extension, somewhat closer to her father.

But all that ended when a rapid knocking at the door woke Tenten eight years earlier. She had been nine years old at the time. In the middle of a cold autumn night, Tenten had dashed to the front door believing her father had returned early from his mission. Unfortunately that was not the case, and her father would never return from that mission.

The tall shinobi who had come to her door informed her that her father had been killed in battle. He had died an honorable death, in service of the village. He was hailed a hero at his funeral, and Tenten couldn't have been prouder, or happier for him, for she know he would once more be reunited with the woman he had never been able to forget. But it didn't stop her pain. Now she had neither mother, nor father. Overnight, she had become an orphan, a casualty of the shinobi life. Her father had had no family, and her mother had originally come from a foreign land and thus had no family of her own. Tenten had been left completely alone in the world.

Having witnessed her father's approach to dealing with the pain of loss, and believing it was what a strong shinobi did, Tenten chose to follow in his stead. But her coldness granted her too much attention from worried adults, when all she wanted was to be left alone. So she decided, instead, to mask her pain behind smiles and normalcy. Like her father though, she dedicated more and more time to her studies at the academy, even managing to prefect her aim in target practice. She saw school and practice as a way to numb herself of the pain. Upon graduation from the academy, Tenten managed to achieve the second highest marks in her class. As a result, Tenten was placed on Team Gai with the highest ranked graduate and the lowest ranked graduate in order for the two highest to balance out their less skilled member's inadequacies.

The man who became known as her sensei was the very same man who had years earlier knocked at her door to inform her that her father had been killed. At that time he had seemed like the most terrifying man she'd ever met, but when she met him once again, he seemed an entirely different man. He was a rather unusual character, but in a way, that made Tenten forget who he had once been to her. She'd often found herself wondering if he remembered her. If he knew that she was the same little girl he had once watched collapse at his feet, sobbing as her life came crashing down.

Her teammates were also quite unusual. Though she had gone to the academy with both of them, she had never really noticed either of them since she had always been so focused on trying to ignore her surrounding life and think of nothing more then her weapons and her practice at mastering them. The boy who had quickly begun to worship their sensei was the oddest of the three of them. He had been the lowest scoring graduate at the academy, being unable to perform ninjutsu or genjutsu, and having a rather poor ability in taijutsu. He would often challenge their other teammate, a proclaimed genius, stating that through hard work, even a failure such as he, could beat a prodigy. The Hyuga had not appreciated it, and often criticized the other boy; always beating him in every fight.

Tenten had grown to admit the young prodigy. He reminded her so much of her father. But it was that thought that finally broke her resolve. Up until that moment, she had hidden her true self from the world, masking the sorrow in her heart. Her father had been a great shinobi, though a pitiful man; so very alone though he was worshiped and respected by many. Seeing how closely Neji resembled her father's lonely spirit, Tenten felt an overwhelming desire to be by the young Hyuga's side, and prevent him from falling victim to the same loneliness that had taken her father from this world. It was true that he had died on the battle field, but he had long since ceased to be a part of the world in which he had lived in for so many years after his heart had stopped beating.

At first, Tenten had resented her white-eyed teammate. He had awoken in her pains that she had long since buried and forgotten. But over time, she realized that she needed him as much as he needed her. The loneliness in his eyes mirrored the loneliness in her own spirit. When she realized this, Tenten vowed that she would stay by his side, hoping that at least one man in her life would be able to overcome the cold loneliness that harbored within his soul. Tenten had been immensely overjoyed when Neji had begun to change after his defeat to Naruto. Though he was still stoic and his same serious self, the loneliness behind his eyes had faded, and he'd learned to smile and let other's in. She was happy for him. But now as he began to open his heart to the world; to mend broken relationships, and make new friends, Tenten wondered if he no longer needed her. This thought brought back the cold emptiness she had know not long ago.

"Tenten."

"huh?" the deep voice behind the kunoichi quickly brought her out of her thoughts as she turned to see who had called out to her.

"It's late." Neji approached the young girl who was sitting on the red railing.

"I'm aware of this Neji." Tenten somberly replied.

"Hn." came the prodigy's usual reply.

"What are you doing here Neji?" Tenten asked.

"I could ask you the same." Neji replied.

"Just thinking." Tenten stared down at the reflecting moon knowing that Neji stood directly behind her.

"…" he said nothing, knowing that she would continue if she so desired.

"I hate this time of year." Tenten sighed.

"Hn." Neji had often noticed that Tenten often became depressed during the autumn months, but had never really given it much thought as to why.

"My father died this time of year." Tenten continued. "And left me completely alone." she barely whispered, trying to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes.

I long silence came upon the two as Tenten desperately tried to regain her composure. Though she had long ago abandoned this pain, she hadn't realized until just that moment how much Neji really meant to her. She had often told herself that the two had become close friends only because they had been forced to share a team with two complete weirdoes, or that because neither of them had parents, and somehow that meant they understood one another. But the truth was… she loved him. And the thought that he might no longer need her in his life terrified her. If he left, she would be alone again. It's true, she now had many other friends and important people in her life; but Neji was special.

"You're not alone Tenten." Neji finally spoke up.

"…"

"I'll never let you be alone." two strong arms softly wrapped themselves around her, enveloping her from behind and pressing her into the jounin's chest.

"Thank you." Tenten meekly sighed. And she was indeed thankful. For the first time in many long years, she realized she wasn't alone, and she was very very thankful for that; thankful for Neji.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

A/N: I'm thankful for all those of you who read my stories, especially for those of you nice enough to submit a review… I'm also thankful that I survived last weekend's 36 hours of writing my appellant court brief… I'm thankful for Naruto, because without it, there would be no NejixTen stories to fill my (very very tiny) study breaks. And most importantly of all, I'm thankful for my bed which is calling out to me at this moment and beckoning me to sleep… night night everyone, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING.


	14. 100

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N:**I wanted the chapter for the 100th reviewer to be titled '100'… but I couldn't think of what to do the story about. I went through various ideas, and ended up with this one… eeeh… it didn't really turn out as expected. Just take it for what it is though, **a Team-Gai fic**.

_**REVIEWS:**as always, thank you to all my reviewers, you guys (and girls **:P**) are awesome! _

_**DEDICATION:**_ Congratulation to SnowCharms who was the 100th reviewer. As a prize this chapter is dedicated to you, hope it's not too bad. :P thanks again for all your reviews.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

100

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_Neji's POV (sorta-ish, but not really)_

In the eight years since joining Team Gai, Neji had never once known Gai to be late to training. He may have been an usual man, dressing in that horrid green jumpsuit, but for the most part he was a rather dependable individual. Neji wondered if perhaps he had been spending far too much time with Hatake Kakashi. The silver haired jounin was indeed an admirable shinobi, a man Neji himself had once admired given that he too had been proclaimed a prodigy at a relatively young age. But upon bearing witness to his propensity for being late and his lecherous addiction to those vial novels, Neji's admiration for the man severely declined.

"Its not like Gai-sensei to be late." Tenten observed as she twirled one of her many kunai in her left hand.

"Hn." It was scary sometimes how Tenten and Neji could seem to be thinking almost the same thing.

"I wonder what could be taking him." she added looking over at Lee, who was currently making the most of his time by practicing his kicks against a training post.

"Hn." Though Neji was curious himself, it didn't really concern him too much.

"I AM CERTAIN THAT GAI-SENSEI HAS A VERY YOUTHFUL REASON FOR BEING TARDY." Lee enthusiastically yelled from beside the training post.

"I'm sure you're right." Tenten replied with a smile, but Neji could see she was trying hard not to roll her eyes. "Don't smirk at me Hyuga." Tenten playful scolded the prodigy.

It was odd how well the two sparing partners knew each other. Neji prided himself in being unreadable, but somehow Tenten had always been the only person to know exactly what he was thinking and how he was feeling; often times even before Neji, himself, knew.

"This is boring." Tenten complained, slouching down a bit as she sat toying with her scrolls.

"Hn." Neji replied.

It had been an unspoken rule that training did not begin until all four of the members of Team Gai had assembled and split off into pairs. Though it was always the same pairings, for some reason, they still held up the pretense that they would decide each morning who would train with who. Occasionally the team would do a group training, and Gai-sensei would look over Tenten and Neji's progress, but generally the saner half of Team Gai was left to their own devices. It worked out for the best; Lee had originally been the one who needed the most help to make up for his lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu. With Gai-sensei's assistance, Lee had become an extremely skilled taijutsu master. Though he had, as of yet, still been unable to defeat Neji, if it ever came down to a battle entirely by taijutsu, no one could be certain who of the two would be the victor.

"WHY NOT JOIN ME AS WE WAIT, OH YOUHTFUL FLOWER OF TEAM GAI?" Lee called over to Tenten.

This time Tenten did roll her eyes. It wasn't that she found Lee annoying, although he did still irritate the pair from time to time, the fact of the matter was that the kunoichi harbored tender emotions for the green idiot; and even Neji held the young man in great esteem, though he'd never let anyone know of course.

"I keep telling you stop calling me that!" Tenten exclaimed, before standing up and walking over to Lee.

Neji would have joined the two, it wasn't like he needed an invitation, but he much preferred to sit beneath his favorite tree and use the time to meditate, after all training would just go on longer the more Gai kept the trio waiting, and there was no point in draining his chakra before they were told what the day's training was; there was no telling if Gai would decide that today would be a good day to run a 100 mile sprint. He often came up with the most impossible and unrealistic tasks, but then Team Gai could be summed up as an impossible and unrealistic group.

"Okay Lee, what should we do?" Tenten asked as she approached him.

Taking a moment to think, Lee scratched his shiny head before shouting, "I KNOW, WE COULD DO LAPS!" he smiled broadly, clearly proud of himself for coming up with, what he perceived to be a brilliant idea.

"I don't know, Lee." Tenten replied uncertain, "What if Gai-sensei has us run laps when he shows up? We don't want to worn out by the time he arrives." _Yup, definitely scary. _Neji tired not to smirk, upon hearing the kunoichi voice the very thoughts that only moments earlier had run through his mind.

"WE COULD CLIMB!" Lee exclaimed, pointing to the impressively enormous tree behind Neji.

"Lee…" Tenten shook her head, "Same problem Lee."

"THEN WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST WE DO TENTEN-SAN?" Lee asked.

"Well it would have to be something that doesn't require too much movement." She said thoughtfully, as she squinted her eyes in concentration, "But it can't be anything that has to do with heavy lifting" she added, preempting Lee's next suggestion.

As his two teammates stood in front of him thinking about what to do, Neji too began to contemplate what kind of exercise would fulfill the requirements Tenten has specified. Meditation was perhaps the only thing that could meet those demands, but he was certain that his more energetic teammates would not likely find it as useful as he did. Tenten would usually fall asleep when she and Neji took time off for meditation; and as for Lee, it seemed almost an impossibility that he would ever learn to sit still and quiet, let alone meditate.

"I KNOW!" Lee shouted, ending the silence that had come upon the trio. "TARGET PRACTICE!" Lee jumped up and down excitedly, believing he had come up with the prefect idea.

"Target practice?" Tenten repeated . "Lee…" she incredulously stared at Lee.

Neji smirked at the young man's cluelessness. Of course, Lee had chosen the only other option that could conceivably meet the requirements Tenten had suggested; still, Neji couldn't help but silently agree with the kunoichi, it seemed an absurd suggestion, especially considering to whom the idea was proposed to. Tenten had long ago mastered the art of perfecting her aim, and even if she hadn't, target practice was something young genin and academy students focused on, not three experienced shinobi.

"BUT TENTEN-SAN, IT HAS BEEN MANY YEARS SINCE WE'VE TRAINED IN THIS MANNER." Lee whined.

"I know Lee, but don't you think our time would be better served training at something we've not yet mastered?" Tenten patiently tried to explain.

"THAT IS TRUE, PRECIOUS FLOWER OF TEAM GAI, AND THEREFORE WE SHALL TODAY MASTER OUR AIM, OR WE WILL DO 100 SQUATS AROUND THE VILLAGE TOMORROW." Lee replied, setting up yet another one of his useless 'rules'.

"Lee…" Tenten began, but she quickly realized that it was to no avail. Lee would never learn. "Fine." she signed.

From his spot on the ground, Neji watched as Tenten and Lee took turns chucking kunai after kunai at the targets Lee had quickly set up around the clearing. As expected, Tenten hit every bulls eye, while Lee hit only about half of them, but came fairly close on most of the rest.

"TENTEN-SAN, YOU ARE AMAZING!" Lee exclaimed.

"Thanks Lee." Tenten modestly smiled. Of course she knew she was amazing, after all she'd worked hard at attaining her prefect aim.

"Idiot" Neji muttered from his spot under the tree.

"WHAT?!" Lee shouted, becoming defensive at what he perceived to be a challenge. But this was typical of the two male teammates. Neji would insult Lee and Lee would immediately become defensive and challenge his 'eternal rival' into yet another pointless match. "I AM NOT AN IDIOT!"

"fhh." Neji scoffed.

"TAKE THAT BACK!" Lee demanded.

"Calm down Lee." Tenten tried to restrain the green beast.

"BUT NEJI-KUN CALLED ME AN IDIOT!" Lee whined.

"You are an idiot." Neji replied.

"SEE!" Lee yelled out, pointing accusingly at the young prodigy.

"Neji!" Tenten scolded, warning the Hyuga with an intense glare she'd picked up from him.

"Well he is." Neji huffed, "Who else wouldn't know that you have one hundred percent accuracy?"

'Gasp.' as if finally realizing the obvious, Lee remembered that Neji was right. "TENTEN!"

"It's okay Lee." Tenten smiled, "Guess you've just inherited Gai-sensei's bad memory." she joked, attempting to make the suddenly sullen green beast feel better.

"OH DEAREST FLOWER, I AM ASHAMED OF MYSELF." Lee moped, "HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN?." he began tearing up.

"Don't worry about it Lee." Tenten tried to reassure him, "It's easy to take for granted things we live with every day."

"NO, THAT IS NO EXCUSE." Lee slammed his fist to his palm, "AS A GOOD FRIEND, I SHOULD HAVE REMEMBERED."

"Lee…" the kunoichi began.

"I SHALL RUN 10 HUNDRED LAPS AS PUNISHMENT!" Lee proclaimed, "TEN TIMES!"

"Lee, that's unnecessary." Tenten replied.

"Impossible." Neji added from his position on the forest floor.

"I HAVE RUN MORE." Lee replied to Neji's comment.

"That's 10 thousand laps Lee." Tenten informed him, "The most you've ever done is a thousand, and you know how that turned out."

Neji remembered the moment Tenten was referring to. It had been after Lee had attempted to ask Haruno Sakura out on a date, but had failed miserably. As a result, Lee had imposed upon himself a punishment to run one thousand laps around the village; and the village wasn't small by any means. In the end, he had managed to accomplish the laps, with Tenten and Gai helping him, by bringing food and water throughout the days. Neji had brought a blanket one night, as Lee ran in his sleep, but only Tenten had been witness, and she had never said anything about it, much to Neji's relief.

"TENTEN-SAN…" Lee began to protest.

"Lee." Tenten sternly glared at the bowl headed shinobi. "Promise me you will not attempt to run 10 thousand laps Lee."

"I PROMISE." Lee replied, a mischievous glint in his big eyes.

"Hn." Neji grunted, signaling for Tenten to rethink her last statement.

"Right!" Tenten nodded, understanding Neji completely. "That means don't even begin one lap, not 'don't attempt; do' okay Lee?"

"OK." Lee sighed dejectedly.

"Good." Tenten replied. "Now, how about we go search for Gai-sensei, I bet I have a good idea where he might be." Tenten added, as she began moving towards team seven's training grounds.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"You baby him too much." Neji commented as he and Tenten walked through the crowded streets of Konoha.

The trio had eventually discovered Gai strapped to a tree in nothing but his bright green boxers. Tenten had remembered Ino mention that Kakashi, Genma, Iruka, Gai, and a few other shinobi were going to be taking Asuma out drinking for his bachelor party. Tenten suggested that perhaps Kakashi might know where Gai was, and so the trio had gone out in search of their sensei's 'rival'. They never would have imagined that someone would have thought it'd be funny to tie their nearly nude sensei up to a tree.

After finding Gai, bring him down from the tree and putting him to bed, the younger shinobi had decided to take the day off from training. Neji figured it had been enough exercise to pull a still inebriated Gai all the way home and get him to sober up enough to be left alone with Lee. After making sure that Lee was capable to take care of their sensei by himself, Neji and Tenten eventually left the pair, and began walking home. They had spent a lot of time helping Gai out, and the day had already gone well into the early evening.

"Who? Gai-sensei?" Tenten turned toward the Hyuga.

"Hn." Neji grunted, knowing full well Tenten knew who he was referring to.

"Ok. Fine." Tenten huffed. "But come on, did you seriously want to go through another episode of him trying to run around the village until he collapsed? Last time he was in the hospital for a week because of the strain he put on his body."

"I am aware of this." Neji replied, "but that still doesn't excuse his stupidity."

"What are you saying?" Tenten questioned, "Should I have let him punish himself for something so trivial?"

"..." Neji remained silent.

"Besides, it's not a big deal, I didn't want him to feel bad." Tenten continued, "Like I sad before, it's only natural that a person take for granted and forget something he sees every day."

"That's not something one easily forgets" Neji replied as he stopped walking and turned towards Tenten.

"Yeah, well Lee's… special." Tenten stopped as well and turned to face her sparring partner, "He's not like most people." she smiled wearily, almost apologetically.

"Still, how could anyone forget what's written in your name?" Neji smirked down at the confused looking girl.

"Huh?" Tenten arched her eyebrow questioningly.

"Ten. Ten." Neji paused, waiting to see if she'd gotten it yet. "One Hundred."

A look of realization dawned on the kunoichi's face. "…I never noticed..." Tenten let out a quiet laugh, "You really do see everything don't you?" she smiled broadly at the white eyed prodigy.

"Only what matters." Neji replied as he commenced walking once more, leaving a beaming Tenten to following shortly after.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: Okay, that so did not turn out the way I had expected it… I started this story a while back, ever since the 100th review, but because of school and finals and everything, I hadn't been able to finish it. I needed a break from the studying today, so I decided to finish it off… Sadly it's not as good as the previous one… but I promise you all the next one will be better… Just as soon as finals are over I intend to start writing a lot of new chapters. I might start another multi-chapter story… but I'm not promising anything. Anyway, back to the books… Two more final exams to go… I should have a **new chapter** up next week… most likely **Thursday**, but possibly **Wednesday**.


	15. Clumsy

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

_**REVIEWS**_ - thank you to all of those who reviewed XD I always appreciate it.

**SnowCharms**,** Shadeehue**, **Sony89**,** AnimegirlKiki**,**ILuvNeji77**,** Hexxgirl**,**BleedingHeartHeiress**, and **imuzuok**.

_**DEDICATION**_ - This one-shot is dedicated to **Sony89**. I already did a Neji birthday chapter, but I figured, I could still do a Tenten-sings-to-Neji type one-shot instead. And I give you a to for one, I also included a little fake Lee love for you . XP. Hope you like it.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The early morning hours had come and gone, and the sun was quickly raising over the buildings of Konoha. Normally Neji was out and training long before the dawning of each day, but today he had been unable to leave the compound because the elders had called an early morning meeting. As all Hyuga meetings eventually became, it turned into a seemly endless ceremony. Though his teammates would no doubt have taken off to have lunch, Neji just had to get out of there. Making his way to the training grounds, he noticed an unusual sound coming from the clearing where he and Tenten usually held their sparring matches. Ever the cautious shinobi, Neji activated his Byakugan and quietly and discretely made his way over to the location of the sound; all the while making sure to keep his chakra presence well hidden.

As he neared the clearing, Neji caught sight of the source of the sound; it was emanating from none other than Tenten. Deactivating his Byakugan, he crouched behind a tree watching as his sparring partner re-tied her over sized weapon summoning scroll, all the while humming a tune he didn't quite recognize. Neji had never really been into music much; to him, it seemed a perfectly good waste of time, especially when a person could be training instead. Yet hearing the sweet melody coming from the kuniochi almost made Neji wish he had known a little.

As Tenten resealed her scroll, and then began pulling out the old pair of summoning scrolls she occasionally still trained with, Neji noticed an extra bounce in her step. Normally Neji would never intrude upon another's privacy, let alone Tenten's, but his curiosity of what she might do next kept Neji from revealing himself.

Suddenly, the most surprising thing Neji could ever think of occurred. Tenten stopped humming, and began singing. "_First time, that I saw your eyes; boy you looked right through me, mmmhmm_."

It started as a whispered, so soft, that Neji thought she had been speaking at first, and wondered if perhaps she was referring to him. They had gone to the academy together, but Neji hadn't really noticed Tenten until they were paired up in the same genin-cell under Gai. It was possible that he had looked right through her the first time they came across each other; with the countless fangirls he had, he often ignored most girls. But the moment he saw her dedication and skill as a kunoichi; no, as a SHINOBI, it was impossible for Neji not to notice the bun haired girl.

"_Play it cool, but I knew you knew. That cupid hit me, mmm mmm_…"

The second line came out a little louder, and it was then that Neji realized she had been signing. Still, he couldn't shake the thought that perhaps she was talking about him. '_Cupid?_' he wondered. He questioned if perhaps Tenten felt something for him. Or perhaps she was talking about someone else. In their earlier years, he had suspected the possibility that Tenten harbored a slight crush on him, but he had never paid much mind to the idea. Now, he wasn't sure if that was still the case, but the thing that bothered him in this particular instance was the thought that maybe she had feelings for another man. This idea gave Neji a very uneasy feeling, a sensation he wasn't quite familiar with.

"_You got me tripping, stumbling, flipping, fumbling; clumsy cuz I'm falling in love… in love. You got me slipping, tumbling, sinking, fumbling; clumsy cuz I'm falling innn love… innn love. So in love with you_." Tenten slowly danced as she continued singing, gracefully moving up into the trees to begin her exercise routine.

Neji was amazed at how beautifully the kunoichi moved, but the elation her movements and singing conjured within his body where quickly overshadowed by that one little word. "Love?" he repeated out-loud, though it was barely a whisper, caught in his throat. The uneasiness he had felt earlier began growing, as he realized he** needed **to know who it was she was talking about.

"_Can't breath. When you touch me, see… Butterflies so crazy, mmm mmm_." She sat down on a high branch, as she unfastened the ties on her summoning scrolls, preparing them for her to open without much hassle.

'_Touch_' Neji repeated in his mind. He was certain then that it couldn't have been him that she was talking about, after all the only time he ever touched her was when they were sparring, and that could hardly be considered romantic, which her song seemed to imply. The idea that some other man had even dared to touch Tenten infuriate the young prodigy. In some tiny part of his mind, he was aware that it was not his decision to make, or his right to say anything about it, but still… he couldn't help feeling intense anger at this unnamed man. Not so much because he had touched her, but because this mystery man could touch her in such a way that would give the girl butterflies.

"_Whoa now, think I'm going down. Friends don't know what's with me, mmm mmm_."

Neji had to agree with her on that; HE certainly had no idea this was going on, much less heard anything about this mysterious man in Tenten's life. He was also certain that Lee hadn't heard anything about him either. It was then the idea, unexpectedly, occurred to Neji that perhaps the man she was referring to _**was**_ Lee. He had, after all, seen Lee hug Tenten on many occasions, and perhaps the reference to a man looking past her was alluding to Lee's infatuation with Haruno Sakura. With a face to the mysterious man in place, Neji knew who to direct his anger towards.

"_You got me tripping, stumbling, flipping, fumbling. Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love, You got me slipping, tumbling, sinking, fumbling. Clumsy cuz I'm falling in love, innn love. So in love with you_." At this, Tenten leapt into the air, releasing her scrolls into the familiar spiral Neji had seen her perform many times before.

"You know, this isn't the first time this has happened to me. This love sick thing…" She spoke instead of singing.

Because of her sudden shift from singing to talking, Neji wondered if she had spotted him and was at that moment talking to him. But he did not dare move from his spot, in case that wasn't the reality, and instead chose to wait for her to continue.

"I like serious relationships and a girl like me don't stay single for long." she continued speaking.

At that point Neji was certain she hadn't discovered him, but hearing those words sent a sharp stabbing pain through his chest. If he understood correctly, this mean that the relationship between her and Lee, whom he'd determined just HAD to be the mystery man since he was the only one Neji had ever seen her with, other than himself and the girls from the rookie nine, was in fact quite serious. At that moment, it dawned on him what it was that he was feeling. It wasn't jealousy, like he'd suspected, not that the Hyuga would ever admit to feeling anything of that sort; it was heartache. It occurred to him that he had lost her before even realizing how much he had wanted her in the first place.

"Cuz every time a boyfriend and I break up, my world is crushed and I'm all alone… The love bug crawls right back up and bites me and I'm BACK!" she emphasized, as she began moving through the swirling paper, seemingly soaring into the clear blue sky.

Neji couldn't take any more. He needed to leave before he heard any more. He sullenly stood from his crouched position behind the tree, and as he was preparing to leave the clearing, he turned to take one last look at the source of his heartache.

"_You got me tripping, stumbling, flipping, fumbling; clumsy cuz I'm falling in love. in love. You got me slipping, tumbling, sinking, fumbling; clumsy cuz I'm falling in lo-_" Unexpectedly, as she was flipping through the air, moving to the nearest tree, her foot suddenly slipped and she lost her balance. As a result, the kunoichi began plummeting uncontrollably toward the forest floor.

Completely on instinct, Neji swiftly moved under Tenten, and caught her in his arms before she could hit the hard floor.

"Neji!" Tenten gasped in surprised.

"Are you alright?" Neji inquired, looking down upon the girl resting comfortably in his arms.

"H-Hai." Tenten turned her gaze from him, slightly blushing from the embarrassment of having had him watch her fall. "Thank you." she added, before climbing down to stand before him.

"Hn." he replied, attempting not to reveal any of the earlier emotions that had plagued him as he listened to her sing. "You sing well." he told her, before he could stop himself.

'Gasp.' she looked up into his eyes, slightly embarrassed at not having even considered that he might have over heard her. "Thank you." she replied, looking down onto her hands in an attempt to hide the rising color on her cheeks.

"May I ask who this man you sung so passionately about is?" Neji asked, attempting to keep the tremor in his voice from becoming noticeable.

"A-ano." she stammered, "No one" she murmured.

Neji silently watched as the girl shuffled her feet nervously. "Who ever he may be," Neji continued, "He is a lucky man." he added, before slowly beginning to walk away from the girl, in order to prevent Tenten from seeing the pained look in his eyes that he was certain only she would be capable of noticing.

"huh?" Tenten looked up curiously, only to see Neji's retreating back.

Over the years, Tenten had developed a sixth sense when it came to knowing what Neji was thinking, which came in quite usefully when deciphering his many one syllable grunts. In an instance, she realized what had happened. Never in her entire life could she have imagined that Neji felt that way about her. She had long harbored feelings for the stoic young genius, but had long since given up any hope of having her feelings reciprocated.

"Neji, wai-" she attempted to chase after him, but ended up tripping over her discarded scrolls, having forgotten that they had landed close by.

Neji turned just in time to have Tenten send them both crashing towards the grassy floor, with her landing on top of him.

"Tenten?..." Neji stared up questioningly.

She hadn't planned on what to do next, so she did the only thing she could think of; she leaned down and kissed him.

Neji was taken by complete surprise, and for a moment didn't respond. But upon realizing what was happening, he gave into the kiss completely. It began soft and timidly, both boy and girl too nervous to know how to proceed, but as the seconds quickly sped by, and their enthusiasm grew, the kiss became much more intensified. After what seemed like an eternity, but was most likely no more than a minute or so, the two teammates parted, staring into each other's flushed faces.

"You're so clumsy." Neji smirked.

"I know." Tenten broadly smiled, "cos I'm falling in love."

"Hn." He smiled up at her. '_So in love with you._' he silently said to himself before pulling the girl down towards him for another kiss.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The end

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: Wasn't planning on writing anything until next week… but I got out of my exam today (or actually by the time I post this it'll have been yesterday) feeling so drained and so not in the mood to study for the next exam… so I decided a little break was in order and just started writing this chapter. It took all of five hours, though I had thought the concept up a few weeks back when I had this song stuck in my head. Anyway, I hope you all liked it. Keep the reviews coming please… it makes me feel better in these **horribly insane **times… seriously, I feel like I'm losing what little sanity I had left with all this studying… I must be psychotic… who else studies 15 to 20 hour days? Anyway… time for bed now, and up in 5 hours to study again… agh… at least I only have one left, then I can sleep again.

Next update will definitely not be til **Wednesday **or **Thursday **for sure this time.

UPDATE: What can I say? 3am caught me by surprise last night (err, this morning lol), so I totally forgot to mention what song Tenten was singing. For those of you who don't know, it was Clumsy by Fergie. (disclaimer: don't own that either).


	16. Sweet Kisses

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N:**Sweet kisses

Sorry I didn't update sooner, as I promised, but some stuff came up… anyway, it's come to my attention that out of the 15 chapters, only 5 of these chapters include a kiss between Neji and Tenten (Chapters 3, 4, 11, 12, and 15). So to make up for the 10 missing kisses, this story is all about Kissing (okay maybe not, but I promise you there is kissing). Lets see how many I can fit in.

_**REVIEWS**_

**Sony89**,**Hexxgirl**, **Shadeehue**,**ILuvNeji77**, **Kunoichi-of the-Leaf**,**Nichi Nara**, **Rockeh**,**imuzuok**, and **SnowCharms**.

You guys are so awesome! Your wonderful reviews got me through the horror that is final exam season… so thank you thank you thank you all!!!

_**DEDICATION**_

This chapter is dedicated to **imuzuok**, who first got me to realize, back in… oh I don't remember like chapter 10?… that I should do more kissing one-shots. It's not quite the 10 missing kisses, but close enough, hope you like. And thanks for all the chapter reviews. **;D**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Neji?" Tenten twirled her kunai on her finger absentmindedly as the pair waited patiently for their sensei and teammate to return from their training . It was customary that once each training session was completely, the entire team would meet up before parting ways to go home for the evening.

"Hn?" Neji opened his eyes and turned to face the kunoichi sitting next to him on the forest floor, both of them equally tired from their earlier sparring match.

"Don't you think Gai-sensei and Lee are a running kind of late?" Tenten wondered aloud.

"I believe your assessment is correct." Neji replied after turning upward to confirm the time in the location of the stars above them.

"You think they forgot?" Tenten asked, though she wasn't quite sure how they would be able to forget something they did every day.

"More than likely the two are engaging in yet another ridiculous display of emotion." Neji responded, referring to the many times Gai and Lee would embrace in tearful joy.

"You know, not all displays of emotion are ridiculous." Tenten scorned.

"…" Neji turned a sharp eye on the girl, giving her a questioning look.

"Okay, maybe their little youth-fests are a bit over the top…" Tenten admitted.

"Maybe?" Neji scoffed.

"Fine! They ARE beyond ridiculous." She relented, "but some displays of affection are important." Tenten added, "they allow the people you care about to know that you actually care."

"And what kind would those be?" Neji asked, remaining as impassive as ever.

"Well…" Tenten turned away quickly, pretending to be thinking the question over. In reality, she was merely attempting to hide the rising color in her cheeks.

"Perhaps…" Neji began as he leaned over and took her chin in his hand, moving her head back towards him. "Something like this…" he sensually whispered before bring her lips up to meet his in a tender kiss. (1)

"Nejiiii." Tenten whispered after nervously pulling away. She turned from side to side checking to see that no one had seen them.

Though they had been dating for nearly three years, very few people knew about the young couple's secret relationship. In fact, to Tenten's knowing, the only one who seemed to be aware, or even suspect, their relationship, was Hinata, and Tenten was fairly certain the young heiress would never tell anyone. It wasn't that the two were ashamed, but it was well known throughout the Leaf village that Hyuga's only ever married within their social class. With no name or clan, Tenten would certainly never meet the requirements of a Hyuga bride; therefore, it was decided that they would keep things secret, for fear that their relationship might be found out and the two would be separated, forbidden to ever see one another again.

"Hn." Neji ignored her worried protest and once more pulled her towards him to capture her lips with his own. (2)

"What are you doing?" Tenten hissed, after reluctantly pulling herself away.

"You worry too much." Neji replied, before wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her towards him; positioning her upon his lap.

"Neji…" She answered in a worried tone.

"…" Neji responded by leaning in for yet another soft, tender kiss. (3)

"We shouldn't be doing this here." Tenten warned as they parted, but it was evident in her tone that her resolve was very quickly fading.

"Perhaps." Neji replied as he began tracing gentle kissed down her neck. (4)

"What has gotten into you?" Tenten quietly asked, her concentration broken by each time his lips touched her skin.

"Hn." Neji hummed into her neck as he continued on his path.

"If anyone…" her focus faltering.

"They won't." Neji replied, as he continued planting more kisses on her delicate neck. (5)

"How can you…" she began, her breathing becoming labored.

"They won't." he repeated.

"But if they did…" Tenten's voice slightly broke as she thought of what would happen if they were to ever be found out.

"Tenten." Neji stopped his advances to look up at the girl.

"I couldn't bare lose you." Tenten's soft voice unsuccessfully hiding the fear and sorrow in her soul.

"You won't." Neji firmly replied.

"If the elders found out…" she began.

"They won't" he repeated once again.

"But if…" she insisted.

"If…" Neji interrupted, "I would never allow them to take you from me." He firmly replied, pulling her lithe body into his and embraced her reassuringly.

She smiled blissfully as she relaxed into him, adjusting herself comfortably against his chest. "I love you Neji." she sighed before swiftly drifting to sleep.

"I love you too." Neji softly replied before gingerly placing one final kiss on the sleeping girl's forehead. (6)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) first kiss!!!

(2) that's two!!! Yes, I'm going to keep this up… lol…

(3) that makes three!!!

(4) oh screw it! 'tender kissES' that means more than one, that's not going to give me a very accurate count… but we'll keep going.

(5) is it me, or does Tenten have a long neck… lol… just kidding…

(6) awww… I love forehead kisses… so for this one just imagine she didn't have her forehead protector on. :P

**A/N**: I know it's a bit short, and I would have added more, but I liked where it ended. Plus, coming up with this chapter was sooo incredibly hard, you have no idea. I was actually going to go in a complete different direction with this kissing chapter, but that idea wasn't working out so well (however that's not to say I've given up on that idea, I'm actually going to try to finish it for a future chapter, but not until I can figure out how to make it work)… on the bright side I got like three other one-shot ideas just out of working on that idea alone… anyway, once I actually came up with_this _idea, to substitute for my original one, this actually pretty much wrote itself… which I hope actually means it's at least half way decent. Anyway, **please remember to review. :D**


	17. Dong zhi

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

_**DEDICATION**_ - I dedicate this chapter to all of my readers, and I know there's more of you then just the reviewers since I'm constantly getting "favorite" and "alert" emails sent to me from FF. Thank you all so much, this is my holiday gift… ok, forget the PC crap, this is my CHRISTMAS gift to all of you :D… enjoy.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
**DONGZHI**  
_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Tenten cheerfully walked through the dark streets of Konoha, quickly making her way towards her team's training grounds in the early morning hours. Though it was relatively cold and still quite dark, despite the hour that it was, Tenten had an extra bounce in her step. It was a very important day after all; her favorite day of the whole year.

"GOOD MORNING, OH YOUTHFUL FLOWER!" Gai-sensei welcomed, as Tenten approached the trio that was already waiting for her.

"Good morning Gai-sensei, Good morning Lee, Good Morning Neji." Tenten politely bowed. It wasn't her usual greeting, but today was special. "Happy Dongzhi!" she cheerfully exclaimed.

"Do-ng-zh-i?" Lee attempted to repeat.

"…" Neji remained unmoved, but he too wondered what it was that Tenten had just said.

"PLEASE EXPLAIN; WHAT IS THIS DONGZHI MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT?" Gai asked.

"Oh, that's right." Tenten suddenly remembered that Dongzhi was a tradition from her mother's side of the family. It was no surprise then, that someone from Konoha would be unaware of the festivities. "Dongzhi is a special celebration that commemorates the coming winter." she explained.

"A Celebration? YOSH!" Lee enthusiastically responded.

"That's right." Tenten nodded, "Every year, on this, the first day of winter, in my mother's homeland, they celebrate the Winter Solstice; that is, the shortest day, and longest night."

"Shortest day and longest night of what?" Lee asked confused.

"Of the year Lee." Neji responded for Tenten.

"That's right Neji." Tenten smiled happily. "It's the time of year when families gather together in celebration and make pink and white Tangyuan, which are rice dumplings that symbolize unity and prosperity. Then later we eat them, along with a large banquet, before opening presents and singing songs, and telling stories. It's the best day of the whole year!" (2)

"YOSH! That sounds so youthful Tenten-san." Lee happily cheered.

"THAT DOES SOUND VERY YOUTHFUL TENTEN-CHAN." Gai agreed.

"So does that mean you have lots of family over to celebrate with you?" Lee asked.

"No." Tenten replied sadly, "unfortunately, because my mother's homeland is very far away, her family isn't able to celebrate Dongzhi in Konoha with us." she informed them, "but it doesn't matter, we still have a great time every year, and even father enjoys it."

"Well it does sound like a lot of fun!" Lee replied, attempting to lift Tenten's spirits back to what they were before he brought up the family issue.

"Actually…" Tenten began, "I was wondering…" she paused, biting her bottom lip nervously as her three teammates waited patiently for her to continue, "Would the three of you like to join us this year?"

"We would be honored to, isn't that right Lee? Neji?" Gai turned to face the boys, smiling brightly, then turned back to the kunoichi a gave her one of her good guy poses, ping and all, confirming that they would be there.

"Hai!" Lee beamed happily. "And we shall participate in all of the festivities. What time should come to start making dumplings?" Lee asked.

"That's not necessary Lee, just show up to celebrate, that will be enough. I think 6 would be an appropriate time." Tenten replied.

"THAT IS SO THOUGHTFUL OF YOU MY DEAR LEE." Gai beamed proudly at his student's nobleness.

"GAI-SENSEI" Lee explained as rivers of tears ran down his face.

"LEE" Gai replied, waterfall tears also streaming down his face.

"GAI-SENSEI"

"LEE"

As the love-fest continued, student and master drifted off into the sunset (before sunrise no less) and ran off to prepare themselves for the days festivities.

"Ano… Neji." Tenten addressed her silent teammate, "Do you think you can make it?" she asked.

"I'll be there." Neji replied before proceeding to walk back to the Hyuga compound.

"I guess practice is cancelled today." Tenten shrugged, before making her way back in the direction she had just arrived from. This was definitely no ordinary day.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Tennie-chan" Xiu-Juan greeted the girl with a somewhat surprised look.

"Good morning Tenten-chan." Ryoku welcomed his daughter as she approached the kitchen table.

"Good morning, and Happy Dongzhi." Tenten smiled.

"Happy Dongzhi." they both replied.

"Tennie-chan…" Xiu-Juan began, "Aren't you a little early from training today?"

"Actually training was cancelled." Tenten informed them, "I hope you don't mind, but I invited my teammates to come join us today."

"Oh not at all." Xiu-Juan smiled, relived to know why her daughter was home so early.

Xiu-Juan had been afraid that perhaps something had happened between her and the Hyuga boy. The two teammates had been spending a lot more time together than usual, and considering how much time they used to spend with one another, that was saying a lot. So to see Tenten home so early made Xiu-Juan worry that perhaps they had gotten into a fight; she was happy to know her assumptions were mistaken.

"Will that Hyuga boy be coming as well?" Ryoku asked from his seat in front of a newspaper. (3)

"Yes father, Neji's on my team." Tenten replied.

"And Lee-san and Gai-san will also be joining us?" Xiu-Juan inquired, a hint of worry in her voice.

"Yeah." Tenten smiled wryly. "And they offered to come join us for to make the dumplings, but I told them not to worry. They'll probably show up around 6."

"Well, I guess we will have to start getting ready." Xiu-Juan replied, "We should set everything, finish putting the main dish in the oven, and then decorations. Oh, and don't forget your new kimono Tennie-chan."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Six o'clock arrived soon enough, and all the preparation were ready. At exactly the last chime of the clock, a gentle yet strong knock at the door was heard.

"That must be Neji-kun." Xiu-Juan said as she rose from her seat on the floor, where she had been arranging the gifts.

"What makes you think it's him Xiu-Juan, and not Tenten's other teammates?" Ryoku asked as he followed her towards the door.

"You'll know when you meet them." Xiu-Juan ominously replied, before reaching to open the door.

"Good afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Furi-iki." Neji politely bowed. (4)

He was dressed in an elegant dark blue Kimono with small white birds embroidered onto the collar and sleeves.(5). Behind him stood the other two members of Team Gai, both slightly tussled up, seemingly having just been in some kind of altercation, but neither looked badly injured, just a little worst for wear in their matching green Kimonos. They too greeted Tenten's parent's, while keeping a weary eye on the Hyuga Prodigy; a fact that did not go unnoticed by Ryoku. (6)

"hha" a gasp from behind Xiu-Juan and Ryoku caught everyone's attention. "Lee, Gai-sensei, what happened?" Tenten ran to the side of her two teammates.

"Tenten." Neji spoke her name in is an astonished whisper, clearly taken aback by the girl's appearance, but he quickly looked away, upon seeing the sharp look from Ryoku.

Her two other teammates also stared at the girl in wide-eyed astonishment. The kunoichi before them was not the same girl they were accustomed to seeing. Gone were the twin buns that always adorned her head, as her long wavy hair flowed freely. The usual, baggy tom-boyish outfit, discarded for a more form fitting red and gold kimono with embroidered patterns of flowers.

"YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL TENTEN-SAN!" Lee exclaimed, once more regaining his lively enthusiasm.

"YES, QUITE YOUTHFUL, PRECIOUS FLOWER." Gai added.

"Thank you." Tenten blushed at the complements.

Behind her, Xiu-Juan smiled cheerfully, while Ryoku stood wondering what was wrong with the two shinobi dressed in green.

"DON'T YOU AGREE NEJI-KUN?" Lee asked, turning everyone's attention onto the white-eyed genius, who attempted not to shrink before the intimidating man glaring at him.

"Hai." Neji replied as passively as possible, so as not to attract any negative attention towards himself.

"Oh!" Tenten shouted, "I almost forgot." she turned to her father, "Father, these are Rock Lee and Gai-sensei. And you remember Neji."

"Nice to see you again Hyuga." Ryoku replied, a hint of amusement in his eyes upon seeing the young man slightly twitch at the stern tone in his voice. Ryoku always did enjoy seeing the poor boy tremble before him. "And a pleasure to meet the two of you." he added, as he addressed the other two; though, in all honesty, he wasn't quite certain that was actually true.

"Please, come in." Xiu-Juan motioned for everyone to move into the living room.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

As the night wore on, the group ate the delicious meal prepared by Xiu-Juan and Tenten, then proceeded to move into the family room where Gai and Lee suggested they should sing, recalling that Tenten had mentioned that tradition earlier at their training grounds. Ryoku and Neji watched in silence, as the other members of their group cheerfully belted out song after song, until it was time to open the gifts.

"Here Tenten-san!" Lee handed the girl a crudely wrapped green package.

"You didn't have to Lee." Tenten replied.

Though she had gotten each of her teammate's presents gifts, she had not expected any of them to bring gifts for the occasion, since she had only just told them about the party earlier that morning. So she was rather surprised to see that each member of her team had brought something with them. Lee had brought little boxes for each of them, while Gai had brought a festive basket filled with fruits, nuts, teas and sweets. Neji had brought a bottle of Sake as a hospitality gift, which didn't surprise Tenten since Hyuga's were well known for their proper etiquette.

Tenten opened the green box Lee handed her, to find a new summoning scroll; one which was light weight and compact, prefect for her to carry around in a small pocket. From her mother, she received a new kimono, and from her father, a Chinese butterfly sword; a weapon he had picked up on one of his more distant missions.

Once she finished opening her gifts, Tenten handed out the small boxes she had carefully wrapped in festive colors. She had taken a lot of time choosing the perfect gift for each person, and was happy to see that they had enjoyed the small tokens she had found for each.

After the gifts were exchanged, Gai suggested telling stories, having remembered Tenten mentioning that tradition earlier as well. As Gai enthusiastically recounted the first mission team Gai had ever gone on outside of the village, Tenten moved to pick up the discarded wrapping paper and take it outside to the trash bin in the back yard.

"Tenten." a deep voice called out behind her as she closed the top of the trash bin.

"Yes Neji?" she turned to face him, not at all surprised to see him there, having felt his chakra presence behind her the moment she stepped outside.

"You look quite lovely tonight." Neji complimented. Thankfully Tenten had forgotten to turn the light on, and the waning moon provided minimal lighting, otherwise Neji would have been able to see the bright blush creeping up the kunoichi's cheeks.

"Thank you." she shyly replied.

"I have something for you." Neji said as he stepped forward and handed her a small white package.

"You really didn't have to Neji." Tenten replied, "but thank you." she added, as she took the package in her hands.

She tentatively examined the box before carefully peeling back the tape and opening it. Inside where the most beautiful pair of silver hair clips, shaped in the form of dragons.

"Neji… This is…" Tenten was at a loss for words, "Thank you." she repeated again.

Neji moved his hand towards the box and pulled out one of the clips. He stepped forward and traced the outline of Tenten's face, tucking a lock of her hair behind her left ear, and then proceeded to pin the hair back with the clip.

"You should wear your hair down more often." He smiled. "It looks good this way." he added, before tracing his finger back down her face and along her jaw line before cupping her chin and tilting her head to face him.

"Neji." Tenten whispered, staring deeply into his pearly white eyes.

Before she realized it, Neji leaned down and pressed his warm lips against hers. Just as Tenten was beginning to think that this was definitely the best Dongzhi ever, the lights she had forgotten to turn on earlier suddenly turned on, blinding the pair, and causing them to quickly part and turn toward the door, where Ryoku's wide figure cast a large shadow upon the pair.

"Your mother is serving the layered cake and hot chocolate. The two of you should come in now." He called out, glaring fiercely at the young prodigy as the pair walked past him to join the rest of their group.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**_THE END_**_** (7)  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) For anyone who forgot, Ryoku and Xiu-Juan would be Tenten's parents back from chapter 12 I believe. From the "Do You?" fanfic. Oh, and just as a little side note, I don't know if anyone actually realized this, but I did after rereading all my stories, I realized I'd already used the name Ryoku in my Soraoi story, and as the bad guy no less… oh well, it's a good name.

(2) I kind of mixed Christmas traditions in there as well, simply because I wanted more to it… but I don't know, for all I know it might actually be true (or not).

(3) Don't even know if Konoha has a newspaper, but I would imagine it must. And I really couldn't imagine Ryoku reading Icha-Icha, or some other book, he seems more the newspaper type… you know, typical dad.

(4) Tenten's last name (that I made up)… remember Furi- means Free, Iki- means Spirit… I noticed I actually misspelled it last time, put in an extra I and K… that's okay though.

(5) Yes, men's clothes are also called Kimono's just in case you didn't know.

(6) Neji beat them up. Guess he didn't want them to make a bad impression on Ryoku or something.

(7) Not really since this story ended up being expanded in **WIND AND DRAGON**

**A/N**: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Winter solstice (and Summer solstice for those of you who live in the southern hemisphere, like you Shadeehue…

This one I just kind of ran with. It totally just came to life on it's own… took no time at all to write it; and it wasn't even one of the ones I already had half written from working on the previous one. I think the roaring fire's got me inspired. I feel like doing another Christmas-y themed one (already have one started).

**Please Remember to Review.**


	18. Winter Wonderland

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I was contemplating whether I should set this chapter up in some place like Snow country, or whether I should pretend that it snows in Konoha (which I find highly unlikely given that it's, hello!, FIRE country). Then I thought, well I just went to the snow, 3 hours from my house (albeit fake snow, but in mid-January there is real snow an hours drive from my house), and So. Cal is known for our year long summer (yes, sadly, we have no seasons here), so I figured, why not?… so lets just pretend in some place in fire country, there's actually snow during the winter.

_**REVIEWS**_ -

**Kunnochi Hyuuga Tenten**, **gs rocks**, **jack**,** SnowCharms**, **Shadeehue**, **Hexxgirl**, **ILuvNeji77**, **WeaponsMistress**, **Kunoichi-of the-Leaf**, **Sony89**, **Nichi Nara**,** Lane**, and **Dat New Writa**.

Thank you to all of you for reviewing. Love You all very much!

_**DEDICATION**_ - This chapter is dedicated to **_ALL_** of my reviewers, but most especially to all those of my loyal reviewers ((**SnowCharms**, **Shadeehue**, **Hexxgirl**, **ILuvNeji77**, **WeaponsMistress**, **Kunoichi-of the-Leaf**, **Sony89**, **Nichi Nara**, **BleedingHeartHeiress**, and **imuzuok**)) who have stuck with me for pretty much all of the chapters (some of whom have even followed me from one of my other stories), I value your reviews _**most **_of all, since you've been there from the beginning… So to all of you, my WONDERFUL REVIEWERS, this is my Christmas Present to you all (and at midnight no less.. lol)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

WINTER WONDERLAND

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Remind me again why we're here." the usually silent Hyuga asked his female teammate.

"I told you already, Shikamaru invited us all to his clan's mountain cabin to enjoy our winter break in the snow." Tenten exasperatedly explained for the umpteenth time.

The two sparring partners were slowly making their way through the deep snow into the large cabin where their friends were already unloading their packs.

"Yes. But why am **I** here?" the stoic Hyuga asked again.

"Because **I** was coming, and because if **I** wasn't there, **You** would have no one to train with, so **I** convinced **You** to come by saying **I** would train with **You** here, if **You** came." Tenten frustratedly explained through clenched teeth.

"Hn." Neji shrugged, still not all that happy with the idea of having to spend his only week of vacation surrounded by people he found incredibly irritating.

"Just get your butt inside, and pick a room." Tenten ordered from the door. "You better hurry, remember we have to share rooms. Or would you like to end up with Naruto or Lee?" she quietly added as the two entered into the cabin where the other ten members of their party were already dropping their packs.

"Hn." Neji put his bags beside Tenten's, then crossed his arms in front of his chest. Tenten understood this as his way of refusing.

"Well you better hurry up and pick someone then." Tenten advised.

"…" Neji gave the bun haired girl a stern glare.

"What?" She looked at him questioningly, "it's not like I came up with this idea, there's only 6 rooms after all, we all have to pair up." she explained. After thinking her words over for a moment, the Hyuga proceeded to pick up both of their bags and walk toward the rooms.

"Which one?" Neji asked, turning to the kunoichi.

"Oh, No!" Tenten loudly exclaimed, "I am NOT sharing a room with you." she shook her head profusely.

At hearing the girl's loud remark, all eyes from the other members of their party turned to look at the pair. Ino and Sakura looked about ready to burst into fits of giggles, while Hinata brightly blushed a deep crimson. Choji chose to ignore the whole situation, focusing on his freshly opened bag of chips instead, while Lee looked around the room wondering why Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Sasuke each had knowing smirks planted firmly on each of their faces. In the far corner of the room, Shino inwardly rolled his eyes at what he could guess was to come next.

"Oi, Neji, I had no idea you and Tenten were that close." Kiba loudly teased, causing Tenten to blush at his comment.

"…" Neji merely blinked repeatedly, having not quite gotten the insinuation, followed shortly after by an uninterested "Hn," once comprehension finally came to the Hyuga. (1)

Had he been any other person, Neji would have ferociously blushed at the comment; however, he _**wasn't**_ any ordinary person, he was THE Hyuga Neji, pride of Hyuga clan. He would not succumb to such a weak emotion as embarrassment. No, he would not openly bow before the others, so instead of acknowledging the younger shinobi's innuendo, he chose to ignore it and proceeded to pick the room himself.

"Neji…" Tenten followed, painfully aware of the amused stares directed at the two, as well as the wolf whistles coming from a certain hyperactive knuckle head and dog boy. (2)

"Neji!" Tenten sternly repeated after closing the door behind her.

"Hn." The white eyed prodigy grunted, as he placed the bags in front of the dresser.

"Don't you 'Hn' me!" Tenten scolded, "If you haven't noticed, these rooms only have single beds." She pointed to the big queen size bed to emphasis her point.

"What's your point?" Neji calmly asked as he began unpacking his bag and placing his clothes in the empty drawers.

"My point?" Tenten looked at him incredulously. "My point is that it would be better if **you** shared a room with one of the guy's while **I** shared with one of the girls." she explained. "Unless you're comfortable sleeping on the floor." she added.

"No." Neji impassively replied as he continued unpacking.

"Neji, surely you understand the impropriety here?" Tenten anxiously asked.

"We've shared close quarters before." Neji replied, unshaken.

"Yes, but those have been missions." Tenten explained, "This is different."

"How so?" Neji turned to face the girl, who immediately began blushing, much to the young prodigy's delight.

Of course he understood the impropriety of the situation; he was, after all, from one of the most notably aristocratic clans in the village, everything revolved around good etiquette and proper behavior. In truth, Neji did have some concerns about the inappropriateness of the situation. After all, they were no longer young teens; they were both 19, and it would be rather unseemly for two unmarried adults to share the same bed for an entire week. Not only for Neji, who would have to deal with the disapproval of the clan elders, but there was Tenten's reputation to consider. He didn't believe any of their friends would look down upon her, but Yamanaka and Haruno were both extremely gossipy and this would surely be too tempting for the two to keep to themselves.

"Fine, I will room with Lee." the Hyuga relented, handing Tenten her bag, since he had already unpacked his own.

"Thank you." Tenten replied, before taking her bag and going to see if Hinata would share a room with her.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"YOSH!" Lee shouted as he plunged down the hillside on his new skis.

This however was only short lived, as, for the hundredth time since starting, the green suited shinobi came tumbling down, landing flat on his back, with his limbs flailing about uncontrollably. Gliding down more gracefully, a proficient Shino slide past the older shinobi unaffected. A little less polished, Sasuke continued his attempts at learning to ski, refusing to be beaten by the two stupid pieces of plastic bolted onto his heavy boots. Meanwhile, on the farther side of the mountain, having long since given up on mastering the fine art of skiing, Naruto and Kiba excitedly ran down the mountain on their snowboards. Near by, on the frozen lake, the four kunoichi slide across the ice on well sharpened skates, while Choji and a lazy Shikamaru built a snowman next to Neji, who was sitting in the wet snow, next to the icy lake intently watching the four girls.

"Just go already." Shikamaru lazily moaned, laying a few feet away, on a mat he had brought out with him.

There was no need for him to bother specifying who he was talking to. The lazy-nin was growing frustrated with Neji's uneasiness. He had been sitting in front of the ice lake staring attentively at the kunoichi; tensing up each time that his teammate lost her footing and slipped on the ice.

"Hn." Neji attempted to fringe disinterest.

"You're not fooling anyone." Shikamaru sluggishly replied. "If you're so worried about her, go out there and help her." he groaned. "Obviously Hyuga's know how to skate." he added, noting the ability with which Hinata elegantly floated across the ice.

"…" Neji chose not to respond, it wasn't as if he could actually trick the lazy genius into believing it wasn't true that he was concerned about his teammate.

"You know, for someone who can soar through the air with such agility, it's surprising Tenten hasn't been having very much luck with ice skating." Choji commented as he patted down the final ball of snow, which was to be the snowman's head.

"I wonder how thick the ice is." Shikamaru added, exchanging a knowing looking with his best friend. (3)

At that, the older shinobi stood and made his way over to the lake's edge, hastily putting his skates on, before gracefully gliding over to the bun haired kunoichi.

"Tenten." Neji called out as he approached the four kunoichi, quickly moving toward the fallen girl, who had once more slipped and landed on her butt. "Are you alright?" he asked as he helped her up.

"I'm fine Neji." Tenten sighed, "My butt, on the other hand, has seen better days." she smiled sheepishly. "Just can't seem to get used to these things." she pointed at the new pair of skates she had bought for the trip.

"I-it's okay Tenten-san. It's only your first time." Hinata offered.

"Thanks Hinata." the weapon's mistress smiled up at her friend as she rose to her feet, holding on to Neji to prevent her bottom from one more meeting the cold, hard, floor. "Why don't you three enjoy yourselves, I think I'm going to go sit down for a while." she added, motioning for Neji to help her.

The other girls nodded and then gracefully moved toward the center of the lake, leaving the two teammates alone once again.

"Thanks Neji." She smiled at her friend as he helped guide her towards the edge. "I just don't get why I can't stay up." she sighed dejectedly.

"Knowing you, it is most likely that you are attempting to go too fast, too soon." Neji offered.

"What do you mean?" Tenten turned to face him.

"I assume you have been starting out at full speed." He stated, not really needing confirmation, but receiving it nonetheless when he saw the impish grin on his teammates face. "You must first find your center of gravity in order to better balance yourself on the blades." Neji explained, as he stepped back from her, still holding her left hand, at an arms length away.

Tenten looked down at her wobbly feet, trying to gain her balance. Though they were standing still, Tenten still couldn't seem to steady herself, but at least this time she had Neji's hand to hold on to.

"You're too tense." Neji commented, feeling the tightness of her grip, "you have to relax."

"**You** try to relax after falling on your butt a couple hundred times!" Tenten retorted.

"Here." Neji moved behind the girl, pulling her body up against his. "Just lean in." he instructed.

The kunoichi did as requested, leaning into his strong chest, letting herself go, while still holding herself up. She could hear his heart beat under her and feel his chest rise and fall as he inhaled and exhaled. The pair stood still that way until Tenten's breathing began to match Neji's steady pace, relaxing her deeper into his body.

"Now what?" she serenely asked.

Reluctant to move from their current position, Neji continued, "Bend your knees slightly."

"Okay." she followed his instruction.

"Now," he began as he moved back to where he'd previously been standing, immediately missing the warmth of her body pressed against his. "Start off slow, as if you were walking."

"Ok." she slid her feet softly and slowly upon the ice.

"Don't lean back." Neji advised.

Unfortunately, after kissing the ice floor a couple dozen times, a beginning skater tends to instinctively lean back, which only results in a loss of balance. Feeling her feet beginning to slip out from under her, Tenten gasped, "Neji!" she called out; clenching the hand holding her own. Having had it happen plenty of time already, Tenten knew what was coming; she braced herself for the imminent fall, squeezing her eyes shut as her entire body tightened. But the icy landing never came.

"Neji?" Tenten looked up into the glowing white eyes looking down into her deep brown orbs.

"Hn." Neji grunted. He didn't need to say it, Tenten could see it in his eyes. _I've got you._ That was enough to allow her to instantly relax into him.

"Thank you." Tenten softly said.

Looking down at Tenten, Neji felt his heartbeat quicken. A warmth rapidly sped through him, as she smiled up at him, and the world began simultaneously slowing down and spinning. The heated dizziness rushing to his head quickly had Neji falling backwards, and Tenten pulled down along with him. Everything seemed to be running in slow motion as Neji felt himself land on the cold ice; with Tenten on top of him.

"Neji." Tenten called out in a mixture of surprise and worry "Are you okay?" a concerned look spread across her face.

"…" Neji's brow creased in confusion. He could hear what she was asking, yet the meaning of her words seemed to allude him for the moment, as he looked up at the girl resting on top of him. An ethereal glow seemed to surround the bun haired kunoichi as little white flecks of…_something_… seemed to brush passed her skin, creating an angelic aura around her. (4)

"Neji?" she repeated, worry evident in both her face and voice. "Neji?"

Though her face was only a few centimeters from his own, her voice seemed very far away. He could see her before him, and yet the distance in her voice terrified him into thinking she would fade away and leave him. Before he could think to act, his muddled mind pushed him forward, colliding his lips with hers. The warmth and dizziness of his headed quickly replaced with a warmth and dizziness in his chest as the remaining energy in his body rapidly escaped and his mind drifted into darkness. Falling into the dark nothingness, he heard the echo of his angel's voice; only, this time, he could hear it with his heart, and wasn't afraid that it would fade away. (5)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

THE END (?)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) And he calls himself a genius!… lol

(2) I love Kiba, he's so fun. And Naruto, well we all know he's a perv (but can you really blame him with the sensei's he's had?)

(3) Shika and Choji were trying to trick Neji to go out onto the ice… and it worked too!

(4) Snow

(5) Just cos I know some one will ask… Neji was sick.

A/N: Well my original idea for this chapter, before I decided to end it here because (and I quote) "it ends so pretty there"… lol… anyway… my original idea was going to include a whole lot more, which is probably why some of you might feel like I was setting it up for something that never came… In truth, Neji was supposed to be getting sick there, that's why he was feeling so hot and why he passed out. But like I said, I thought it ended so nicely there that I decided just to cut it right where it was… well that, and it's almost midnight and for some reason I'm exhausted, which is so not like me, I tend to get sleepy around 3 am… but I'm also feeling sore (falling on you're butt all weekend can do that to a girl), so I guess that contributes to it… anyway, I am more likely than not going to continue this in a second chapter. I might, just end up moving it into separate chapter story…

Actually, for those of you who have me on your author alerts (and by the way thank you all so much, LOVE YOU!), I apologize in advance if you're suddenly bombarded with a whole bunch of emails saying that I.heart.Hakate.Kakashi just added a whole bunch of stories… most likely within the next few days I might move the connecting one-shots (two-shots) into separate stories (like the two song fics that go together, and the ones involving Tenten's parents, and this one with whatever chapter I decide to make for it) into separate stories. I mean, I definitely won't delete them off of this one-shot collection, but any additional chapters into those stories, I'll likely update on separate stories and try to stick to only one-shots on this one… I don't know, I'm still thinking about it. Cos I really did want this collection to be a non-connecting type thing, and I seem to be getting a lot of stories in here that connect to one another…

Umm… maybe I'll let you all decide… what would you like? Should I just keep them going in this collection, or should I separate the two (or more) chapter stories into their own section, but I would still keep this one going?… please let me know what you think. Oh and please review. THANKS. ;)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!


	19. Winter Wonderland pt2

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Second part of Winter Wonderland.

_**REVIEWS**_ - thanks for the reviews

**Kunnochi Hyuuga Tenten**, **Sony89**, **Dat New Writa**, **Nichi Nara**, **ILuvNeji77**, and **Hexxgirl**.

_**DEDICATION**_ - This chapter is dedicated to my friend **Shadeehue**, who suggested the skiing idea.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

WINTER WONDERLAND pt. 2

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Neji." There is was again.

"Neji." That same angelic voice had been calling out to him for a while now.

"Neji." He wanted to get up and open his eyes, but his body refused to obey him.

Earlier, he had felt a warm pressure on top of him, but it was no longer there. Now, he felt heavy; a dark coldness numbed his limbs. He could feel something light and frozen falling onto him, as he heard footsteps approaching.

"Hey, is he alright?" a loud somewhat irritating voice, that Neji vaguely recalled belong to an energetic blond, yelled out. (1)

"I don't know." the same heavenly voice from before softly replied; a hint of worry in her voice. (2)

"WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR YOUTHFUL NEJI-SAN?" a loud emotional yell irrupted from above Neji's head. (3)

"I'm not sure, he was fine one minute, and then he passed out." There was movement near him before a small hand was placed upon his forehead.

"He feels very warm." the owner of the hand said from beside him. (4)

"Quick, pick him up and lets take him inside!" a different female voice began bossing the others around. (5)

Soon after, Neji felt various hands and arms lifting him up as a cold breeze rushed past him and he felt himself being moved.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Painfully aware of the soreness in his limbs, Neji blinked open both eyes and found himself staring up into an unfamiliar ceiling. He looked around the dark room, unable to place exactly where it was he currently found himself. There was a lingering dizziness in his head, causing him to close his eyes once more to steady himself.

"Neji." a soft whisper called out to him from the shadows.

Opening his eyes once more, he looked over to where he'd heard the voice. He saw no movement and wondered if perhaps he had merely imagined hearing his name, when suddenly his eyes fell upon the outline of a small figure leaning onto the bed where he was currently resting. Despite feeling as if his limbs were being weighted down by some unseen force, he forced his right arm to stretch out to see who it was.

"Neji?" a small, questioning moan escaped the kunoichi's mouth as she awoke, lifting her hand up to reach the one on her head.

"Tenten." Neji struggled to speak as he attempted to sit up.

"Stay still." she instructed in a hushed tone as she moved closer to him.

"Where…" Neji began, but could barely get the word out, as it was becoming more and more difficult for him to breath.

"Shhh." Tenten hushed him as she came eye to eye with the Hyuga prodigy, his right hand enveloped between both of hers. "Don't strain yourself."

"Wha…" he awkwardly moaned, unable to form coherent words.

"You passed out on the lake." Tenten explained. "Sakura says you probably came down with the flu or something."

"Hn." he grunted weakly.

"The boys helped carry you in." Tenten continued, "You had us all very worried."

He wanted to thank her for her concern, but was unable to speak. Though he was rarely accustomed to speaking much in the first place, the fact that he was not able to, was beginning to irritate him, especially because he could see the concern in Tenten's eyes as she looked down at him and he could do nothing to reassure her.

"You'll be better soon." Tenten smiled down at him as if she understood, and was trying to tell him he didn't need to tell her. "I'm sure by morning you'll be back to your usual self." she continued, looking deeply into his piercing white eyes.

Neji could see the worry and concern in her eyes, but he could also see that she did believe what she said. Inwardly, he smiled at her for that. Many people believed in Neji's abilities to succeed at anything because of his genius, but everyone always took for granted his hard work and determination. Not Tenten; no, she believed in him because he was Neji, not because he was Hyuga Neji, THE Hyuga prodigy. To her, he was just plain old Neji, the boy she knew and trained with. While the rest of the world glorified him with hollow praise, Tenten admired his genius, but applauded his hard work and perseverance. It was true that in the beginning she had often told Lee he could never hope to measure up to Neji because Neji was a genius, but she had once confessed to Neji that she had only said so, to motivate Lee into proving her wrong. She had known even then that Lee needed visible challenges to rouse him into action.

"You should try to go back to sleep." She moved her right hand off of his and placed it on his forehead, "you still feel a little warm." she added, before removing her hand to tuck a loose strand of hair away from his face.

Neji exhaled deeply, his eyes focused on the warm brown orbs still staring down at him. He was feeling more relaxed as her voice smoothed his anxious mind and her right hand subconsciously began to stroke his hair back, lulling him into a peaceful state of tranquility. It was then that he remembered. He remembered the kiss they had shared right before he passed out. It had been partially influenced by the delirium of his fever, but he knew that was really only an excuse. The truth was, he'd wanted to kiss her for a long time but had been unable to build up the courage to do it.

"Ten…" he tried to speak; to explain to her what had happened, to apologize if he had done something wrong; but most importantly to tell her it wasn't just some fever induced mistake, that he really did have feelings for her.

"Shhh…" Tenten silenced him, "go to sleep, we'll talk in the morning." Leaning in, she softly placed a kiss on his forehead and readjusted the blankets to keep him warm. "Good night Neji-kun." she whispered as she closed the door to leave. Weakened as he was, he couldn't help but smile at the gesture, and most significantly, the honorific she added at the end of his name.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

THE END

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) I was tempted to writing in "dattebayo" just so it'd be more obvious it was Naruto, but… I really didn't want to.

(2) of course we know that's Tenten…

(3) I'm sure I don't have to explain that that's Lee.

(4) Sakura… could have been Ino, but Sakura's more known for being the medic.

(5) This one's Ino.

**Authors Note**: Yeah… I'm thinking this chapter's the end of this one. I'm leaving it as a two-shot… It was cute, and I could definitely add more to it if I wanted to, but truth is, I've got a lot of other stories I want to write down and I really do just want to stick to one-shots here.

Oh, as for the beginning… I was trying something new… it didn't quite turn out as I'd envisioned it, but I don't hate it, so I kept it. Anywho…. Remember to **REVIEW Please**. Thanks **XD**


	20. The Perfect Gift

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N: **According to wikipedia (who is my lord and master… lol), today is Hinata's birthday (December 27th)… okay scratch that, Wikipedia did this whole revamp of it's Naruto info and now everything's all lumped together and some of the stuff that was there before… isn't… (Still worship at it's nonexistent feet however.. **:P**), but I do remember today's her birthday, so I decided to start a one-shot collection for Kiba and Hinata, and I also made this one-shot slightly KibaHina… (my apologizes to those of you who aren't fans of the pairing, I promise to keep KibaHina hints in this one-shot collection to a minimum in the future). Enjoy!

_**REVIEWS**_  
Thanks to all of those who reviewed. I see new pennames, Hi! and thank you! And of course, thanks and much love to all the familiar names, you're awesome!

**Kunnochi Hyuuga Tenten**, **demona013**, **Shadeehue**, **Sony89**, **Hexxgirl**, **ILuvNeji77**, **Nichi Nara**, **Kunoichi-of the-Leaf**, **pisceanchic101**, **Cheese Maiden**, **SnowCharms**, **The FirecountryKunoichi**, and **silverdreams124**.

_**DEDICATION: **_This chapter is dedicated to **Kunnochi Hyuuga Tenten, **thanks for all the reviews ;).

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

In a familiar field in the forest of Konoha, a lone figure stood against a tree as a young kunoichi walked toward the clearing in front of him.

"Hi Neji." The bun-haired girl cheerfully said. She walked over to the silent shinobi, who looked quiet angry.

"You're late!" Neji irritatedly accused.

"Oh, good morning Tenten, you look beautiful today, how have you been? I've missed you so much." Tenten sarcastically said, pretending to reply for Neji.

"Hn." The Hyuga prodigy glared at the smiling kunoichi.

"Come on Neji, would it kill you to say more than two words at a time?" Tenten groaned in frustration at her sparing partner's lack of social skills.

"Let's spar." Neji replied as he moved toward the center of the clearing, taking his familiar stance.

"I guess that's a yes." Tenten sighed, moving into position. "By the way, where are Lee and Gai-sensei?" she looked around for the aforementioned goof-balls.

"Mission." Neji answered.

Processing the simple word, Tenten stared at the young genius. There was a twinkle in her eyes and a slight smirk on her face that Neji didn't like. Neji knew that look all too well, whenever she had that twinkle, he was certain it meant she was planning something; usually something that had to do with him getting pinned to a tree, or covered in whatever food or beverage just so happened to be in the weapons mistress's hands. Or worst yet, was when Tenten decided it was their duty to help poor Lee out of yet another depressed mood from having been rejected once again by the pink haired kunoichi. Whatever it was that was coming, Neji was sure he wasn't going to like it.

"Nejiiii…" Tenten said in as sweet a voice as she could muster, which as far as the Hyuga was concerned could easily attract bees.

"What?" Neji replied, bracing himself for the worst.

"I have an idea." She stated.

"…" Neji sighed.

He was half relieved that this meant she wasn't mad at him, and thus would not be torturing him out of frustration, but the genius mind of his told him this could be so much worst. If she wasn't mad at him, that only meant she was scheming something, and that usually cost the Hyuga more than if he'd let her beat on him for a few hours; at least then, he got some training out of it.

"Please, try to contain your enthusiasm Neji." Tenten dryly responded to his reaction.

"Fine." He sighed, "Let's get this over with."

As much as he didn't want to go through with whatever her evil little mind had come up with, he knew it was inevitable. No matter how hard he tried to resist the girl's plans, he always found himself going along with each and every one of them. Like the time she decided to volunteer at a daycare center to see if she had any maternal instincts; she didn't. Or the time she wanted to find out what was so interesting about Kakashi's little orange book; they'd managed to take it from the masked shinobi, but it had been rather difficult to look at each other after reading a few pages of the book together. Still… regardless of how many dangerous or humiliating moments Tenten put him through, Neji always seemed unable to resist her persuasion; giving in to her every scheme.

"Oh my god! You said six words that time. The apocalypse is coming." Tenten mockingly pretended to scan the skies for falling balls of fire.

"Tenten." He glared, warning her he wasn't in the mood for games.

"You know, you're no fun today Neji." She pouted.

"Hn." That quivering bottom lip got him every time. "Fine." He sighed. He was doing that a lot… "What's your idea?" he asked, looked over at the weapons mistress, who was now standing next to the tree where he had been meditating earlier. "And it better not involve me playing babysitter again, or trying to find out what's under Kakashi's mask, because team seven already tired that and…"

"FINE!" she interrupted. "Although…" she said thoughtfully.

"Tenten!" he warned.

"Okay, okay." She rolled her eyes at his annoyance, "I was thinking maybe we could go for a walk." She smiled sweetly.

"A walk?" he repeated. It seemed too simple. "What's the catch?"

"No catch." She replied, raising both hands as a sign of innocence. "Just me, you, and a long dirt road."

"You know I don't like surprises Tenten." He said sternly.

"Lighten up Neji," she scoffed, "You know you can trust me." She looked up at him with her big brown puppy dog eyes.

"Fine." He relented, still unconvinced that it really was as innocent as she would have him believe.

"Okay, just let me go pick something up at my place, and we'll meet back here in…" she paused to think for a moment, "twenty minutes."

"Hn." He grunted in agreement, watching as she ran in the direction of her apartment. It wasn't until she was out of sight that he realized she had just managed to swindle him out of training. "Nara's right. They are all troublesome." He groaned to himself.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"You made it!" Tenten smiled as Neji slowly approached the clearing where they had agreed to meet. He had gone back to the compound to drop off his training equipment.

"Hn."_Lets get this over with._ He sighed, knowing fully well that this day was bound to end badly.

"Don't be so negative." Tenten chided, "We're just going for a walk, nothing could possibly go wrong."

It was a true wonder how the bun-haired kunoichi could figure out exactly what he was thinking simply out of nearly undetectable gestures or small grunts. At first, Neji had been unnerved about having someone who could read him so easily; eventually he accepted it as a natural result of their compatibility as sparring partners, and even learned to appreciate her more for it. 

"Let's go." Neji began walking in the direction of the village.

She had not mentioned where she wanted to walk, or whether she had some destination in mind, but Neji figured the more decisions he made, the less likely it was that he would end up getting into any sort of mess.

"No, this way." Tenten motioned, moving deeper into the forest.

He was hesitant to follow, wondering what exactly the bun-haired girl had up her sleeves. Regardless, Neji continued to follow his sparring partner until they came upon a familiar training ground.

"Tenten?" Neji gave her a puzzled look.

"Yes Neji?" she smiled innocently.

"You do remember Hinata-sama is not training today, right?" Neji asked, not really looking for an answer since he was well aware that Tenten knew today was Hinata's birthday, which meant she would not be training.

"I know." Tenten nodded continuing to walk towards team Kurenai's training ground.

"…" Neji looked at her quizzically as she walked along side him.

"I wasn't looking for her." Tenten replied, scanning the forest around them for any sign of who she _**was**_ looking for.

"Then who?" Neji asked, slightly unnerved at the prospects that the kunoichi might have been looking for one of Hinata's MALE teammates.

"Kiba." Tenten replied nonchalantly.

"Why?" Neji asked through clenched teeth. He wasn't sure why the mention of the flirtatious Inuzuka bothered him, but inside his blood began to boil.

"I figured out the perfect gift for Hinata." Tenten beamed proudly.

His anger slowly subsiding, Neji looked at the girl curiously. Part of him wondered what Kiba could possibly have to do with Tenten's idea, but another part of him felt slightly stung that she would seek out the Inuzuka's aid instead of asking Neji for his help. Almost afraid to know what it was she was thinking, he could not resist the curiosity bubbling inside him, "What exactly are you planning on giving Hinata-sama?"

"Kiba." she stated matter-of-factly.

Neji stared for a moment, wondering whether he had missed something in their conversation. "Clarify." he ordered.

"I am going to set Hinata up with Kiba." She explained.

The wheels inside Neji's head were almost visibly turning as he took in this new information and attempted to understand what his teammate had just said. Though he was still confused as to whether he had understood properly, one thing was certain; he had been right… this would definitely be another scheme of hers that would undoubtedly leave the Hyuga prodigy regretting he ever got out of bed that morning.

"You are aware that Hinata-sama is infatuated with Uzamaki." Neji plainly pointed out.

"Yes, I know." Tenten replied, "but she's been after him for years and Naruto is a complete idiot. I figured if we set her up with Kiba, whose kind of like Naruto, maybe she'd get over the Ramen eating baka and it might build up her confidence a bit. Plus there's the fact that Kiba and she have been friends and teammates for so many years, they already know everything about each other and care about one another, it only makes sense that they would make the prefect couple." she explained in one long breath. (1)

"…" Neji arched a perfectly groomed eyebrow at the kunoichi, eyeing her curiously before suddenly letting out a slight chuckle and smirking at the girl.

"What?" Tenten looked at her friend agitatedly, "Don't you think it's a good idea?"

"By your logic," Neji began; the smirk still planted firmly on his handsome face, "would that not suggest that you and I would also make a prefect couple?"

"What?" she unevenly responded, internally berating herself for having said too much. Attempting to regain control of her rapidly beating heart, and suppressing the rising blush, she quickly turned away from the white eyed genius and pretended to scan the trees for any sign of the Inuzuka.

"Tenten." Neji called out, not yet ready to drop the subject, especially when he noticed the slightly pink tint on his sparring partner's cheeks.

"Neji, I'm busy." she replied, moving away from the prodigy.

"Answer me Tenten." he insisted, watching as the girl visibly squirmed before him. "Do you and I make the prefect couple?"

"Neji." Tenten spoke softly, "we're talking about Hinata and Kiba." she reminded him, endeavoring to change the subject.

"Tenten." he moved in front of the kunoichi, blocking her escape.

"Neji." she mimicked, unwilling to yield to the prodigy. She may have been embarrassed to no end at having revealed far more than she would have liked to, but she certainly wasn't the type of girl to bow down in shame.

"Tenten." he repeated, continuing to smirk arrogantly.

"Neji." she stared him squarely in the eye, refusing to back down even as he stepped closer and closer to her.

"Ten.Ten" he moved closer and closer, staring intensely into her big brown eyes.

"Ne-" she began, but didn't get a chance to finish before Neji leaned down and kissed Tenten tenderly. She froze, startled; but then leaned into him and played into the kiss. His strong arms felt so good around her and his lips were soft and gentle. Tenten sighed as they pulled away.

"Should we get going?" Neji asked.

"Where?" Tenten asked absent mindedly.

"To help Hinata-sama and Inuzuka realize teammates make the prefect couple." he replied, taking her hand in his as they made their way towards the Inuzuka household.

_Perhaps_, Neji reasoned, _playing along with one of Tenten's schemes, from time to time, isn't so unpleasant after all._

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**THE END**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) I mean no disrespect to Naruto or his fans, I like Naruto… but come on, let's face it, when it comes to Hinata's feelings for him, the boy's completely clueless…

**Author's Note**: Three things. 1. I kind of started this fic a long long time ago (like around chapter 3, but only the first half I hadn't figured out the Kiba/Hinata plot until just today), so it might be a little rough around the edges… Also, writing a Kiba and Hinata pairing is still kind of new to me so I might need a little more practice. 2. I started a new one-shot collection, staring Kiba and Hinata (insert shameless self promotion here… lol), and 3. It might be a while between this and my next update since there's a few things I have to take care of before the new year starts so… If I don't update before the new year (which is doubtful, I think I'll probably be able to finish everything I have to do within the next two days), I wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Please, don't forget to **REVIEW**! Thanks **XD**


	21. Mission

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I'm seriously surprised with how many people loved Ryoku. I hadn't planned on using him in more than the one chapter for which I created him, but people seem to have really taken a shine to him (me too actually). I was very excited to write this, but honestly, I had the hardest time with this chapter, just because I didn't know how to end it. (Normally my problem is how to begin a story)… I think this might actually be the longest chapter I've ever written (including my chapter stories)… anyway, I sincerely hope you all enjoy it… and if not, no pelting me with stones please. XP

_**DEDICATION**_ - Everyone, round of applause for **Hexxgirl** and her posse… lol… always wanted to use that word :P . Thank you ** Hexx** and **Kin** for the awesome prompt… and of course to **Blue** who I'm sure put in her two cents also, all the way from Egypt (did you bring me back my cursed amulet?…lol), thank you too. And thanks so much for the wonderfully amusing reviews. Enjoy girls! **XD**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
**MISSON**  
_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Outside the Hokage's office, Neji waited patiently to be called in as the two insane members of his team anxiously ran up and down the hall, worried that their 'precious flower' would not make it in time to start their briefing with the Hokage.

"Where could she be Gai-sensei?" Lee visibly trembled; intense worry evident in his big black eyes.

"Do not worry Lee, I am sure our precious flower will be here before we are to speak with lady Tsunade." Gai replied, giving Lee a nice guy pose; ping and all.

"Hai! Gai-sensei, I am sure you are correct. Tenten-san is never late!" Lee brightly smiled back, reassured by his mentor.

It was true that Tenten was hardly ever late to anything, let alone mission briefing, but with less than a minute left until their scheduled meeting, Neji wasn't so sure the girl would make it this time. He wondered what could possibly have made the kunoichi run so late. The meeting had been set for midday in order to give the team time to ready their packs, as they would be leaving for the mission immediately after. Knowing her to be an early riser, Neji could see no reason for Tenten to be late to a noon briefing, especially considering her house was the closest to the Hokage Tower. For a brief moment, Neji considered the possibility that perhaps Tenten had been taken off the mission, but that didn't seem likely since team Gai had been specifically assigned this mission because of the team's skill at eliminating a larger number of enemies in one quick attack. The only logical reason Neji could surmised would be if she had fallen ill; this, the Hyuga was fairly certain, was not likely since she had seemed perfectly healthy the previous night when he walked her home.

"You may come in." the trembling voice, of an always stressed out Shizune, called out to them as she opened the door to the Hokage's office to allow them entry.

Sitting behind a pile of papers, and looking considerably frazzled herself, Tsunade briefly looked up before returning to the papers before her.

"Good, you're here." she loudly greeted from behind a manila folder containing the mission specks. "Now as you all know, your team has been assigned to retrieve certain important documents from an unidentified criminal organization currently hiding within the borders of Lightning Country." A momentary pause overcame the room in silence as the hokage shuffled around more papers before continuing, "The records indicate that these documents are under heavy guard. This is not a stealth mission, as this would be impossible with the number of men surrounding the building where the documents are currently being held. I want you to go in there, hitting them fast and hard, and then get back here immediately. Our information tells us that the documents will only be held there for another five days. Therefore, because Lightning Country is four days from Konoha, time is of the essence. Do you understand?" She put the folder down and looked up at the three shinobi, waiting for their reply.

"HAI!" all three unanimously replied.

"Good." Tsunade nodded, satisfied that she had covered all of the important facts. "Then what are you waiting for?" she hastily motioned for them to get going.

"Hokage-sama!" Lee stepped forward.

"Yes?" Tsunade looked up at the young man agitatedly, "What is it?"

"Tenten-san is not here." Lee pointed out.

"So?" Tsunade replied in a frustrated tone. It was evident from her blood shot eyes, and her irate tone, that she had had very little sleep the night before and was perhaps not as alert as she would normally have been.

"Ano…" Shizune nervously began, clearly having already fallen victim to the Hokage's sleep deprived temper. "Tenten-san…" she motioned to the file on top of the smallest pile.

"Oh," a light suddenly flashed behind the Godaime's eyes as she glanced over to the file her assistant had signaled to. "That's right, I almost forgot." she turned to Shizune, "Go." she ordered.

"Hai." Shizune quickly exited the room.

"Tenten will not be joining you on this mission." Tsunade informed the trio.

"But Tsunade-sama." Lee spoke up again, much to Neji's relief, since the Hyuga was equally curious about the sudden news, though not as outspoken enough to question a decision made by the Hokage. "If this mission is to succeed, we shall need a ninja of Tenten-san's expertise." the boy reasoned.

Neji silently agreed with his friend; Tenten's attack would be needed in taking down a larger number of the enemy's guards in one swift attack. Though it would not be completely impossible to do using Neji's eye's to organize an appropriate attack, along with Gai's strength and Lee's speed, the fact of the matter was that Tenten's traps and arsenal of weapons would be the most effective method with which to attack.

"That's true Lee." Tsunade nodded her head in agreement, "Unfortunately Tenten is not available to join you."

_.x.x..x.x.**FLASHBACK**.x.x..x.x._

_"Mom, I'm fine, you can stop worrying." Tenten fidgeted as her mother adjusted the blankets around her, trying her best to make Tenten feel more comfortable._

_"You are not fine, you could have killed yourself." Xiu-Juan tearfully replied, looking up at her pale daughter._

_"Please tell her." Tenten looked up pleadingly at the Hokage who stood next to her father watching as Xiu-Juan fussed over the bun-haired kunoichi._

_"You're mother's right, Tenten." Tsunade informed her. "That poison you were experimenting with was actually quiet potent, you're lucky it only touched your skin, if it had actually entered into your blood stream, you would have died instantly."_

_"Gee, thanks." Tenten dryly replied, mentally rolling her eyes, feeling slightly betrayed._

_Tsunade smirked, noting the annoyance in the young kunoichi's voice. "I'm actually quite impressed though." She paused, "If you hadn't told me what was in it, I don't know if I could have figured out an antidote in time." she added._

_Although a large part of a ninja's job was to kill, Tenten firmly believed that she didn't have to be cruel with her kills, thus she had decided to create a faster method of killing that would provide the least amount of pain to her victims. It had taken her many failed attempts to come up with the prefect ratio for each ingredient, to create the ultimate fast killing poison, but the previous night she had finally attained her goal. It made her incredibly proud that her hard work had not only paid off, but that she had also managed to impress her idol with it._

_"Thank you." Tenten shyly smiled._

_"You'll need a day or two to recover," The Hokage informed her, "which means, I can't, in good conscious, allow you to go on tomorrow's mission."_

_"But you've already healed me," Tenten began to protest, "by tomorrow I'll be completely fine."_

_"I'm afraid not." Tsunade shook her head, "you're team will just have to cope without you."_

_.x.x..x.x.**END of FLASHBACK.**x.x..x.x._

"It is true that Tenten's skills are very useful." Tsunade commented, "however, as you've already been informed, we do not have the time to wait for her to get better." she paused, "therefore I've decided for the moment to add a replacement to your team, whom I feel will be very useful on this mission."

"But, who could ever replace Tenten-san?" Lee emotionally protested.

Inwardly, Neji also agreed that it would be a difficult task to replace the kunoichi's unique abilities. Though there were many shinobi who were skilled with various weapons, there were few who could handle as many weapons as Tenten, and far less who could handle them at the same mastery level with which the bun-haired girl had been able to achieve.

"We are lucky Konoha has another weapon's master." Tsunade eerily smiled before continuing, "Now, he normally doesn't take team missions anymore, working mostly high ranked assassination missions." she turned toward a side door hidden beneath the shadows of bookcases and armory lockers. "You can come in now." she called out.

Upon the Godaime's instruction, the private door opened, revealing a large, dark, looming figure. The shadows obstructed the view of the three men, but Neji instantly recognized the intimidating figure, having caught sight of that menacing shadow various times already.

_.x.x..x.x.**FLASHBACK**.x.x..x.x._

_Assured that the young weapon's mistress would be more than well taken care of in her own home, Tsunade agreed to allow her to remain there instead of being stuck in the hospital through her recovery. After leaving her instructions and the necessary medication, Tsunade began walking out of the room._

_"Hokage-sama" Ryoku's deep voice called out as he followed her out the door._

_"Yes Ryoku-san?" Tsunade respectfully turning back to face the large man._

_Even being a legendary sannin, Tsunade was not immune to the intimidating presence of the gargantuan figured before her; though she was perhaps one of the few people who could say she wasn't completely terrified by the man. No, for her, it was much more a mutual respect; although she would certainly never desire to cross the man._

_"This mission…" Ryoku began, garnering Tsunade's interest. "it will be with her team, is that correct?"_

_"It is." she replied, wondering where the man was going with that._

_"And the Hyuga boy will be there." Ryoku stated tentatively._

_Realization dawned on the older woman, "That is correct." she replied, fighting back the urge to smile._

_.x.x..x.x.**END of FLASHBACK.**x.x..x.x._

Neji visibly stiffened as he prepared himself for the daunting figure to step out from behind the shadows.

"I believe you have all met Ryoku-san." Tsunade addressed the three shinobi, eyeing the terrified Hyuga out of the corner of her eye. "He will be taking Tenten's place on the mission." she informed them.

"Hello Ryoku-san." Gai politely greeted, "it is an honor to have you join us on this mission."

"Right," Tsunade called back their attention, "Just to make things perfectly clear, Gai will be leading this mission. You have four days to get there, and then four more to get back in order to return the documents to their proper place. Good luck; you're dismissed."

"Hai!" the four men relied before swiftly departing.

"Tsunade-sama" Shizune addressed the Hokage after the four shinobi had left, "If the enemy has such large numbers, is it really wise to let just the four of them handle this mission alone? Shouldn't we send back up?"

"Relax, this will be easy for them." Tsunade reassured her, "Team Gai could surely have handled it themselves."

"Then why send Ryoku-sama at all?" Shizune inquired.

"You kidding?" Tsunade smirked, "What I wouldn't pay to be able to see how the Hyuga handles this situation." she replied, a slight chuckle escaped her lips as she pulled out a bottle of sake she had hidden under her desk.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"RIGHT!" Gai loudly shouted as the four shinobi stood at the village gates, ready to set off toward Lightning Country. "Everyone, lets get to Lightning Country in 2 days!" he exclaimed, pumping his fist enthusiastically in the air.

"No sensei, we should strive to get there in 1 day!" Lee excitedly offered.

"That is an excellent suggestion my dear Lee!" Gai smiled broadly. "if we do not make it there in one day, then we shall run to and from Suna and Konoha five times!" he proclaimed.

"Hai!" Lee readily agreed, looking starry eyed at his eager sensei.

"What are you thinking?" Neji scoffed, "it will take us four days." he muttered, slightly embarrassed at the pairs antics, especially in front of Ryoku.

However, Ryoku seemed completely unaffected by the two men's bizarre behavior. Perhaps it was his shinobi training, or perhaps Tenten had explained to him what to expect; regardless, Neji was surprised that the man had not reacted in the slightest. Even Hashi had visibly cringed upon first being introduced to Gai and Lee. Neji was impressed.

The emotional outburst between the two spandex wearing shinobi abruptly stopped as Lee turned to face Ryoku with an expectant look on his face.

"Yes?" Ryoku inquired, his expression still unreadable.

"This is usually when Tenten-san agrees with Neji-kun, before he takes hold of her hand and rushed off without us." Lee explained, clearly indicating that he had expected Ryoku to do the same.

"Is that so?" Ryoku eyed the young prodigy menacingly from the corner of his eye, though his face did not seem to indicate even the slightest change.

"Hn." Neji avoided the older man's glare, looking straight into the forest, "we should get going, if it is our intention to arrive in Lightning Country before the five day deadline." he hastily added before rushing off into the forest, quickly followed by the three others.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

An entire day had come and gone as the four shinobi made their way through Fire Country. They had been traveling non-stop for the past thirty-six hours before Gai abruptly stopped and motioned for the rest to follow suit.

"What is it Gai-sensei?" Lee asked cautiously, wondering if perhaps there were danger near by.

"It is nothing Lee, but we are approaching our destination and have yet to take any breaks." Gai replied. "It is late. We should take this opportunity to rest under the cover of darkness." he added.

"But I am not tired." Lee protested, "we can continue for far longer then we are usually able to."

"We already have Lee, but we must also conserve our energy. We do not want to arrive at the enemy's location too tired to fight." Gai explained.

"Right!" Lee immediately gave in to his sensei's wisdom.

After Gai instructed Neji to scan the surrounding area to see where the best location for them to set up camp for the night would be, the four shinobi dropped down to the forest floor ready to call it a night; the twilight hours swiftly approaching.

"This has been a most successful journey so far." Lee mused absentmindedly, "Do you believe we would have made it this far with Tenten-san, Neji-kun?" he addressed his friend, who was preparing his sleeping bag a few yards away.

"She has improved her stamina greatly over the past few months." Neji replied in a non-committal manner.

"Yes, that is true, but she is much smaller than us, and therefore uses more energy to run the same distances that we do." Lee pointed out, "She has normally always asked for us to rest, a day into our trip."

"Hn." Neji wasn't sure this was an appropriate conversation to be having in front of their female teammate's father, who would undoubtedly take offense to any unfavorable assessments of his daughter's abilities. "She would make it Lee." he sternly replied, hoping his friend would take the hint and drop the subject.

"That is true, even if she became tired, I am certain you would carry her the rest of the way as you have done so in the past." Lee smiled brightly at his friend.

Neji inwardly cringed, hoping that Ryoku had not gotten the wrong impression from Lee's words. Yet, even as he reasoned that there was nothing inappropriate about a teammate assisting another teammate, Neji could sense the intense glare burrowing into his back, as a heated aura raged behind him.

"Go to sleep now, Lee." Neji ordered, as he moved into his own sleeping bag.

"Are you certain that you shall be okay that far away Neji-kun?" Lee asked concerned.

"Yes, now sleep." Neji repeated as he closed his eyes, inviting sleep to take him over.

"But you normally sleep next to Tenten-san to keep warm, will you not be cold all by yourself?" Lee innocently asked.

The heated aura emanating from the temporary member of team Gai grew even stronger and Neji visibly shuttered at the statement his friend had innocuously made. The mortified Hyuga sunk deeper into his sleeping bag, wishing the ground could just swallow him up. He, a jounin who was known for his icy demeanor, unflinching even before the most dangerous of circumstances, could narrowly withstand the intensity of Ryoku's glare. And though he was certain Lee had not intended to direct Ryoku's fury towards him, Neji still made a mental note to pay Lee back for his transgression.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Early morning had arrived too soon, and Neji had hardly gotten any sleep. The entire night was spent in anxious distress and worry that he might dream of his female teammate and accidentally say something in his sleep; which was not an uncommon occurrence. With his other teammate's previous comments, and the fact that Ryoku had already nearly caught Neji and Tenten kissing a few times, Neji couldn't risk further angering the seasoned shinobi.

"We should head out." Gai exclaimed from beside his favorite student. "If we move at the same pace as yesterday, we should be able to arrive at our destination within nightfall. Using the cover of night, it will be much easier to create a sneak attack and infiltrate the enemy's building to recover the stolen documents."

"Yosh! Gai-sensei, that is a brilliant plan!" Lee proudly stared at his mentor.

"Let's go!" Gai shouted.

The four shinobi sprinted through the trees at top speed, taking no rests. As Neji had expected, Gai had overshot his estimation as to their arrival time, having actually reached the enemy's lair in the early morning hours of the following day. Under Gai's orders, Neji had used his clan's advanced bloodline limit to scan the area. Using a layout Neji had roughly sketched, and the information Gai and Lee had gathered while they observed the enemy, Gai devised a strategy. The first part was pivotal. Using Lee and Gai's information, Neji would assess the best locations for him and Ryoku to set up the weapon master's traps. They would all then wait until sun down to take their position until it was dark enough to begin their attack. Neji and Ryoku would be in charge of deploying the traps, while Lee, using his incredible speed, would find entry onto the enemy's base attempting to go as unnoticed as possible. Gai would be at a far distance, creating a distraction once the enemy realized they were under attack, thereby hopefully allowing Lee to sneak through undetected.

As night fall quickly came upon the team, they each tuned their radios to the correct frequency so they would be able to communicate. Gai ordered Neji to have his Byakugan activated, in case anyone were to later require assistance. As the plan fell into motion, the first wave of traps took down more than half of the enemy's numbers. It had been a large quantity, but less then the group had expected. Thankfully Ryoku had foreseen this possibility and had instructed Neji to spot out where all the lights to the building were located. While they had been setting their traps, Ryoku had taken the time to set up extra traps to destroy all the lights thereby leaving the entire encampment in completely darkness. With Neji's eyes to see in the blackness of night, and the radios to communicate all necessary information to his teammates, Lee was able to reach the documents without much trouble.

Outside, Gai, with his abnormal strength, had managed to take down a large number of enemy ninja, making his way over to where Lee was expected to exit the building. Meanwhile, Neji had noticed that a vast number of shinobi were headed in the direction of Ryoku's location. Having disabled the few that had come after him, Neji quickly made his way towards the weapon master. Upon arriving, he noticed the litter of men scattered throughout the clearing in which Ryoku currently stood, fending off more enemy ninjas as they came at him in hordes. As Neji rushed to the enormous shinobi's side, he noticed an arsenal of weapons careening straight for the giant leaf shinobi. With little time to think or act, Neji quickly stepped in front of the impressive man and fell into his Kaiten, rapidly commencing his spin to parry the oncoming attack; easily deflecting the weapons. However, this was not his usual defensive spin, as he was actually able to move around Ryoku while performing his chakra shield jutsu, thereby protecting both himself and Ryoku in the process.

The younger shinobi's jutsu greatly impressed Ryoku, who had not seen the oncoming attack, having not been graced with the Hyuga eyes that allowed Neji to see the assault coming from behind him. Together, the two then easily defeated the remaining shinobi, before soon being joined by Lee and Gai. Following the Godaime's instructions, they immediately left the enemy base and began heading back towards the village, careful to prevent any of the enemy from following them.

After running for a few hours, exhausted from their battle with the enemy, Gai instructed Neji to find a secure location in which they could take time to rest and recuperate. Finding a small clearing, the four shinobi set traps around their intended campsite, and then proceeded to lay out their sleeping bags.

"We will rest here until day break." Gai instructed, as the three others sat down to catch their breaths.

Moments later, while Lee fanned the small fire they had made, and Gai secured the documents, Neji went around the camp handing each of his teammates their meal. As he arrived over toward Ryoku's side of the camp, Neji noticed the man tending to a few minor wounds he had received.

"Thank you." Ryoku replied as Neji handed him his food.

Neji nodded, then moving to return to his sleeping back.

"That jutsu…" Ryoku began, calling Neji's attention back over to him. "That jutsu's not meant to be used that way is it?" Ryoku asked, referring to Neji's Kaiten.

"No." Neji answered impassively, "It is a new technique, adapted from the Hyuga clan's Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin."

Looking slightly impressed, though his face showed very little hint of it."How did you know it would work?" Ryoku asked.

"That technique was not the original use of this jutsu," Neji explained, "but it has been used in this fashion before." He paused momentarily, wondering whether or not to continue. "However, because this new technique was developed with only Tenten in mind, it was slightly more challenging to expand the chakra field to encompass someone of your measurements." Neji added before turning around and heading back to his supplies.

Had he turned around, or activated his Byakugan, Neji would have noticed the slight smile on Ryoku's face as the muscular man gently nodded his head, before returning to his bandages.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END (1)**_**  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**Author's Note**: I think I may have bitten off more then I could chew with this one… that's probably why I had so much trouble with it. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed it, but I ruined a whole notebook just jotting down endless ideas, and usually my note books last me for at least five stories (or 10 poems, depending on what I'm working on at the moment)… in the end I only used a handful of them… I really didn't want to do too much. But I think, if it had been more than a one-shot I probably could have added more… but after all that, I don't want to even consider doing a longer version of this one…

I'm just glad it's done. I actually liked it. The end… I'm still iffy on, but it's okay, over all I kind of liked it. I'm slightly concerned that the 'flashbacks' might have made this a little choppy, but I really wanted to include them (otherwise there would be no Tenten in this one-shot at all, and we can't have that!). Oh, and I apologize for the crummy title, I seriously couldn't come up with anything. **XD**

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed.

(**1**) Not really since this story ended up being expanded in **WIND AND DRAGON**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR **everyone!!

Remember to **REVIEW Please**!


	22. Hopeless

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I put fan fiction aside for a few days, trying to write some poetry, which sadly I have not had the time to do in a while… and honestly haven't been inspired much either… but I finally got some done, and that inspired me to write one for this fic (might do one for my kibahina fic later on too)… Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. But I will warn you, there's some angst in here… but it ends happy XD (I always end happy… or at least try). Enjoy!

_**THANKS**_ - That you to all my reviewers, you all are totally awesome!!!… and as I said before I will be making my way through all of my loyal reviewers and dedicating a chapter to each of you. I already made a list of those who continually review, and I'm going to start with the ones who I haven't dedicated anything to yet, then, if and when I can, do a second round… I love hearing from you guys, and just want to show my appreciation. **Thanks!**

_**DEDICATION**_ - This chapter (which I loved, and hope you love, even though I'm slightly afraid some people might not because I've spoiled you all by only ever doing happy fics), is dedicated to **Kunoichi-of the-Leaf**. Thank you so much for your constant support and all of the wonderful reviews!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

HOPELESS

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Tenten continued to toss and turn on her tiny twin size bed. It had been this way for over a month. Though, in reality, if she were completely honest with herself, it had actually started long before that. For many years the weapons mistress had harbored feelings for a certain white eyed prodigy. It had started as a simple crush, or so she told herself; after all, every girl in their class had chased after the Hyuga genius. However, Tenten had never been among those who one would consider his many fangirls, believing that she would most likely out-grow her silly school girl crush.

Upon being placed in the same genin squad, it became more difficult for Tenten to ignore her ever increasing infatuation. It eventually became clear to her that it was not just some adolescent crush, but perhaps something more. As much as she had wanted to deny it, it became evident that she had fallen in love with the stoic Hyuga. Accepting this reality, she had eventually grown to hope, that in time, he might one day feel the same as she did. But after many years of waiting patiently, she began to give up hope.

For a month now, things had become strained. Neji had become more distant; frequently taking days off from their routine training, to train at the compound, or opting to spar with Lee instead of her. Sometimes it even seemed he was avoiding her altogether. At first she had not known what to make of his sudden change in character, but after thinking about it increasingly, she realized that the only thing it could possibly mean was that he had discovered her feelings and did not return her affections. There was no other explanation she could come up with. She reasoned that he had figured out how she felt for him, but not wanting to ruin their friendship or the team dynamics, he had decided to pull away from her, instead of directly breaking her heart by telling her he did not reciprocate her love.

However, the more she considered the idea, she began to realize it didn't really fit. Neji was not the type to ignore a situation. If something were bothering him, he would immediately confront the problem and bluntly express his displeasure. As Tenten thought this over, she realized that could only mean he cared so little about her that he didn't even feel her worthy enough to be honest with her. The thought that this might in fact be the case, caused Tenten more pain than she could ever have imagined any weapon capable of inflicting.

As the days went on, and she saw less and less of him, she began to have trouble sleeping and concentrating. Though she had reasoned the whole explanation out in her mind, she had yet to acknowledge the pain that she felt within her. As she laid on her bed, once more staring up at the ceiling, just as she had every night for the past few weeks, she decided enough was enough. She had to find a way to move on with her life. The thought of training until exhaustion seemed appealing at the moment, but with the lack of sleep she'd had over the month, it didn't seem likely she would be able to get very much done.

As she sat up from her bed, looking out her window into the darkened night, she glanced over at her desk, and the small collection of pictures lining the wall behind it. Standing up to get a better look, Tenten spotted her team's first picture. She had been standing in the middle, with her pink Chinese top, and a blush grazing her pale cheeks, while her two male teammates had been standing on opposite sides of her, and their sensei stood behind her with a wide grin and his right hand giving a thumps up, in one of his signature good guy poses. Inspecting the picture more closely, she noticed Neji's eyes turned away from her in an irrigated expression. She had always found it amusing that he could never look directly into the camera, and always seemed slightly annoyed in photos, but she had reasoned it no doubt had to do with their other teammate and sensei; now she wondered if perhaps _**she **_had also been an annoyance to him.

As she continued to stare at the picture, her eyes began slowly watering. Looking down onto her desk to find some tissue, she spotted a pen and paper sitting invitingly upon her desk. Without even thinking, she took hold of the pen and sat down in front of the paper. Her hand began moving, as if of it's own volition, as the heated tears threatened to run down her face.

_I knew that it could never be  
it was a mere delusion  
the hope that someday he would see  
beyond his self seclusion._

_So much time that I have wasted  
on a broken promise, never made.  
So many tears shed  
on unanswered wishes I have prayed._

_I must give up the lie  
that some day his heart will be mine.  
I can no longer deny;  
all hope I must resign._

_That he will ever see more than a teammate;  
though I dreamt a different fate._

As if in a feverish rush, Tenten finished the poem her heart had been pleading for her to release. It didn't make her feel any better to have the very words she had tried to deny out on paper, but she did feel as if a burden had been lifted off her shoulders. Glancing down at the piece of paper before her, she sighed heavily before tucking it away in a secret compartment she had built into her desk, locking _**it**_, and with any luck, the pain that she felt, away forever. Finally feeling exhausted, after having released some of the bottled up emotion she had denied herself, she moved toward her bed, beckoning slumber to come to her.

Before she could even get her head to hit the soft pillows under her, she heard a light tapping at her window. With well-honed reflexes, that even the most elite shinobi would envy, she quickly made her way towards the window; a kunai held steadily in her left hand. Peering through the foggy window, she saw the last thing she would have ever imagined to see. A surprised gasp escaped her lips as a pair of familiar white eyes stared back, deep into her own brown eyes.

Before her stood the very man who had plagued her restless mind. As she moved to open the latch on her window, she noticed he looked as disheveled as she felt, as he clutched a small piece of paper rolled up into a thin scroll in his trembling left hand.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

THE END

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**Author's Note**: Don't kill me!!! I know, I know, you hate me for ending it there, but there is a reason and a method to my madness. I didn't say in the beginning author's note because I wanted to see how many people caught this… but, since undoubtedly some people will have missed it, allow me to explain.

This chapter is the SECOND part to chapter 8, entitled "SLEEPLESS" (first clue… look at the title to this one: "HOPELESS"… hint hint). If you recall chapter 8 (which was so long ago so it might not be that easily remembered), there was absolutely no dialogue, it was just Neji's poem confessing his love to Tenten. And yes, if anyone caught it, that rolled up paper in Neji's had at the end of this chapter is the very same poem he wrote for her… Therefore this story actually ends on a happy note, since he's there to confess his love to her, and in fact it's not as hopeless as Tenten feared… There… I explained it… now you can't hate me! **XD**

So, if you still love me, please remember to **REVIEW**!

Ps… this actually turned out a lot longer than I thought it would… I actually thought it would end up as short as SLEEPLESS… but it's actually well over the 1000 word mark. XD

Also, just in case anyone's interested, or noticed, this was a Shakespearean Sonnet… which is a "ABAB CDCD EFEF GG" rhyme scheme. The meter IS off though… I never much liked (and or tried) to do the whole meter stuff in poetry… someday I might bother to teach it to myself, but not right now… and especially not iambic pentameter… that one I know how to do, but it irritates the beejeezees out of me…


	23. Jealousy

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Wow… these seem to be getting longer and longer; nearly 10 pages. Anyway, there's an important A/N at the bottom, don't forget to read. But if you do, that's your choice… just don't go saying "update soon" because then I know you didn't read it! … lol

_**THANKS**_ – Thank you all for reviewing… especially my loyal reviewers who consistently leave me feedback… Despite the "important A/N" I promise to get around to doing the dedication for everyone… I've got a list of all my frequent reviews, and I will be getting through it! (I should probably come up with a system… I'll get to that!)

_**DEDICATION**_ – This chapter is dedicated to **Silverdreams124** (Lane), who just joined us, but was kind enough to review a whole bunch of chapters. XD Thanks girl! Hope you enjoy it.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

JEALOUSY

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_I can't believe I bought these_. Tenten sighed as she stared down at the small plastic bag in her hand, containing the most hideous pair of shoes ever created. She still couldn't believe her friends had talked her into buying them. They were the ugliest things she had ever seen, and she certainly would never be caught dead in them. However, she had been in need of new sandals and unfortunately, being the picky shoe shopper that she was, she had grown increasingly annoyed at going in to store after store in search of the "perfect shoes." As a result, she had just given in and tried the stupid pair of shoes on to shut her friends up. Surprisingly, they had been far more comfortable then she would ever have imagined. In fact, they felt almost as if she were walking around barefoot; a habit Tenten truly enjoyed, though rarely got to do so, because it could be dangerous to walk around barefoot, especially with the number of weapons usually littered throughout her surroundings. Wanting to end the utter annoyance of shopping, she had succumb to her friends incessant nagging and had bought "the damned shoes," as she so fondly referred to them. No matter how comfortable or light weight they may be, it didn't make them any less hideous in her eyes; but buying them was much better than spending another minute aimlessly wandering Konoha's sopping district.

Tenten had never liked shopping in general, but, as far as she was concerned, shoe shopping was the worst! There was something about trying to cram your feet into shoes that were two sizes too small, simply because they "looked adorable" and made your feet look smaller, which had never much appealed to the bun-haired kunoichi. Furthermore, most shoes she found to be rather impractical, especially given the demanding life of a shinobi. Worst though, were the constant fads and fashions that girls would get caught up into. The monstrosities she currently carried within her shopping bag, being a perfect example of just such a fad. The weapons mistress never understood the point in buying something simply because everyone else liked them; or more accurately, convinced themselves they liked it because they believed everyone else did.

As she walked through the busy streets of Konoha, only half aware that her three younger friends were carrying on a conversation beside her, she continued to curse every shoe maker and designer in the world, for both their existence and their poor judgment in choosing a career path. She didn't really feel guilty about not paying attention to the three girls next to her; it wasn't like she really needed to pay attention. She could easily guess that their conversation would no doubt consist of shopping, boys, and endless giggling. As a result, Tenten decided to focus all her mental abilities at trying to will the migraine that was threatening to surface, away; and while she was at it, perhaps will all shoe makers and magazine editors, who propagandized the ridiculous fads of the moment, into early graves.

She cursed Gai-sensei for having given their team the day off so, as he put it, Tenten could "enjoy the 'youthfulness' of bonding with her 'youthful' friends while enjoying the 'youthful' activity of shopping." She cringed at the memory of her sensei explaining to Lee the importance of girl's "mall bonding time." Actually, as she thought it over some more, she cursed Neji for having Kaitened her poor sandal's into pieces. She still couldn't quite figure out how he'd done that. True, it had been her weapons that had destroyed her shoes, but he had been the one who sent them flying back at her feet. In retrospect, she probably should have been grateful her feet hadn't come off with the shoes, but for the moment, all she wanted to do was blame someone for the current situation in which she found herself.

"You-who, Tenten, are you listening?" Ino waved her freshly manicured hand in front of the older kuniochi.

"Huh?" Tenten blinked repeatedly, bringing herself out of her inner vexation.

"Did you listen to anything we were saying?" Ino asked, placing a hand on one of her hips, as she glared at the bun-haired girl in annoyance.

"Sorry." Tenten apologized, "I got distracted."

"Oh?" Ino's left eyebrow twitched excitedly, "it wouldn't happen to be about a boy would it?" she asked interestedly.

"Huh? What?" Tenten looked at her blond friend confused, "What boy?"

Though she had only briefly thought of a certain "boy" she certainly didn't want to get Ino riled up again on the subject of Tenten and the topic of boys.

"Oh, so there isn't a boy then." Ino asked. "Well, then you should have been paying attention after all." She smugly told the other girl.

"What are you talking about Ino?" Tenten asked, attempting to keep her irritation out of the tone of her voice.

"She means," Sakura cut in, noticing the tiny vein pulsing on Tenten's temple, "That boy whose been following us for an hour now." Her eyes darted behind them as the four girls came to a stop in the middle of the street.

"Who?" Tenten asked, knowing not to turn around, but searching through the closest reflective surface to see behind her.

"A-ano," Hinata timidly spoke up, "the boy with the blue sweater and black cargos, Tenten-san."

"What about him?" Tenten asked, as she spotted the male in question through her metallic silver nail polish, a concoction she had come up with that was not only rather nice looking, but also served well on missions as portable mirrors.

She had to admit, the guy was definitely good looking. He had pale skin, dark hair, and sharp eyes; three features Tenten found very attractive in a guy. But beyond that, he seemed like any other civilian; simple and boring. He certainly couldn't compare to some other guy's she knew, Tenten just didn't find non-shinobi men all that interesting. Then again, there was really only one guy she found interesting, and it perhaps it was unfair to the rest to compare them to him, as none could ever hope to measure up.

"He's been following us since we got out of hair salon." Sakura informed the girl.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice." The pink haired kunoichi added with a hint of bewilderment and amusement in her tone.

"Yeah, it's not like he's doing that great a job at hiding." Ino snorted, rolling her eyes at the boy's poor attempt at stalking.

Tenten couldn't help but agree; the boy was doing a lousy job at trying to look inconspicuous, even for a civilian. How she hadn't noticed before that he's been tracking them was beyond her, but she reasoned it no doubt had to do with her annoyance of the whole mall experience. It didn't help that he began stalking them right after they came out of the beauty salon, where Sakura, Ino, and even Hinata, had pestered her into getting her hair done. In the end, she had relented, but had only allowed the stylist to put her hair down and give her a small trim, before curling it into a loose waterfall of hair, cascading down her back. Not many knew how much the bun-haired girl actually loved her hair. True, she never wore it down to show it off, so many assumed she just didn't care about it at all. But that couldn't have been further from the truth. Wearing her hair down simply wasn't a practical thing for a kunoichi to do, as it would only be getting in her way constantly, a dangerous nuisance during a battle. In reality, though Tenten loved her hair very much, and spent almost as much time as all her friends combined, maintaining it in good condition. In fact, part of the reason she chose to wear her hair up in the two buns instead of a pony tail like most kunoichi, was that she feared a weapon might one day hack her precious hair off if she left it hanging too loosely. Or worst, that she might one day find herself in the same situation Sakura had found her herself years earlier during their first Chunin exams, which had resulted in the pink haired medic-nin having to choose between her life or her hair. To be honest, Tenten wasn't sure which she would have chosen; that's how much she adored her hair.

"He's been watching you the whole time." Hinata shyly informed the brunette.

"How could you tell which one of us he was watching?" Tenten questioned.

"Oh, believe us, we could tell." Ino chuckled, "every guy's been looking at you since we got out of the beauty salon." She informed her.

"You're kidding right?" Tenten gave her a skeptical look.

"We're not." Sakura shook her head, "you should really let your hair down more often."

Tenten subconsciously ran a hand through her brown tresses, enjoying the smooth feel of it, as it spilled freely down her back. She could understand someone might admire her hair for its length and luster, but why on earth would someone actually be following them around just to look at it?

"He thinks you're cute." Ino informed her, as if reading the older girls thoughts.

"Well, good for him." Tenten rolled her eyes, "come on, lets go." She began walking away before Ino and Sakura grabbed hold of her. "What?" she looked at both friends, turning from one to the other questioningly.

"Come on Tenten-chan." Ino smiled wickedly, "He's really cute."

"Very." Sakura agreed, "Don't you think so Hinata-chan?" she turned the blue haired girl.

"Hai." Hinata nodded bashfully.

"So?" Tenten tried to control her rising frustration; pulling both her arms loose from her two friend's grips.

"So…" Ino began, "You should talk to him." She bluntly replied.

"What?" Tenten gasped, "Why?"

"Because he's cute." Sakura replied, as if it was the most obvious reason ever.

"I'm not going to talk to someone just because they're cute." Tenten scoffed, preparing herself to continue walking.

"Oh, come on Tenten-chan." Ino plead, "We just think you should give the guy a chance. He's clearly smitten with you. What would it hurt to talk, maybe flirt a little?" the blond suggested with as sweet a smile as she could muster; but Tenten could see the wicked glint beneath the smile.

"Ino." Tenten glared at her blond friend, "I am not going to flirt with some random guy."

"Why, what's wrong with that?" Ino innocently asked, not seeing any problem, considering she did that all the time.

"You're both aware that I don't find civilian boys in the least bit interesting…" Tenten began, before intensifying her glare. She had, after all, learned how to intimidate with a single look from watching Neji do it so often. "So what exactly are you two scheming?" she asked the two girls squirming before her.

"We want to get Neji jealous so he'll finally realize his feelings for you and confess his love." Sakura hastily confessed, breaking under Tenten's intense stare.

"Sakura!" Ino reproachfully shouted and her pink haired best friend.

"What?" Sakura replied defensively, "It's not like we were getting anywhere with your plan." She turned back to Tenten, "But we weren't lying about him following us, or that he's been watching you." She clarified.

"Whatever," Tenten sighed agitatedly, "and you guys can just give it up. Neji doesn't DO jealous." She informed them.

"Of course he does, all guys get jealous." Ino protested.

"Neji's not like most guys." Tenten reminded them, "and if it's true that he would get jealous over me talking to a guy, it would have happened already. I _**have**_ talked to other guys before, you know."

"Well, why don't you just prove that to us then?" Ino wickedly smirked, using her eyes to signal Tenten to look to her left.

Once more bringing her hand up to use her reflective nail polish as a mirror, she looked to where Ino had directed her. Sure enough, sitting with Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru and Choji, were her two teammates, Lee and Neji, apparently all eating lunch together at the Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"No." Tenten flat out refused.

"What? Why not?" Ino demanded.

"I'm not going to play some foolish little game." Tenten retorted angrily, no longer caring to conceal her annoyance.

"Come on Tenten, what have you got to lose?" Sakura gently tried to persuade the girl.

"No." the brunette sternly repeated.

Though she was certain Neji would never react jealously, since she knew his personality better than anyone else, Tenten didn't see any point in playing along with her friend's game. The only thing flirting with some random guy would serve, would be to cause Tenten to humiliate herself in front of all of her friends, or worst, if she were wrong… But she didn't want to think about that, after all, she was fairly certain she could not be wrong. Furthermore, she just wasn't in the mood to deal with this at the moment.

"You don't have to flirt with him." Hinata offered, for which Tenten was very grateful. "You could just talk to him." She continued, jarring Tenten out of her momentary relief, having believed she had found some support among her overbearing friends.

"Traitor!" Tenten accidentally shouted out loud, forgetting the Hyuga's gentle sensibilities. "I'm sorry Hinata." She immediately apologized, after seeing the distressed look on the young heiress's small face. "I'll do it." She agreed hastily, in hopes of lessening the insult, "but I'm just going to talk to him." She informed them.

"Great!" Ino beamed, taking Tenten's bag from her hand. "We'll be right over there." She said, as the three other girls made their way over to where the five boys, who had turned toward them at the sound of Tenten's shout, were now standing.

"Damn it!" Tenten cursed as she watched her so-called friends walk away, realizing she had once more given into their demands.

She sighed, realizing that she couldn't get out of it. Hoping nothing bad resulted out of this, she turned toward the boy, who was moving in her direction, just wanting to get this over with.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Hi boys!" Ino greeted the five shinobi cheerfully.

Shikamaru quickly mumbled a quiet "troublesome" before returning back to his red stool, while the rest of the guys greeted the three kunoichi.

"Will Tenten-chan not be joining us?" Lee innocently inquired, much to Ino's pleasure.

"Oh, she will." Ino sinisterly smiled, "She's just going to talk with that cute guy over there for a bit." She informed them, just as said 'cute guy' walked over toward Tenten.

"He's been admiring Tenten all day today." Sakura added, following Ino's lead. "Actually a number of boys have been admiring her today." She added, looking over toward Neji to see his reaction.

Neji, for his part, remained impassive as ever; seemingly unaffected by the two girl's words. Yet his trained eyes remained steadily focused on his sparring partner and the male civilian currently standing within a foot from her.

"I can see why, Tenten looks Hot!" Kiba excitedly exclaimed, much to the concern of his female teammate, who immediately stepped in between him and her cousin.

"Hai." Hinata replied from between the two men, "She does look very lovely with her hair down." She agreed.

"That's true. I don't think I've ever seen Tenten-chan with her hair down before." Naruto observed, "She does look pretty!" Naruto agreed, "But not as pretty as you Sakura-chan." He added with a foxy grin.

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded, though inside she was ecstatic. (1) Still, she was aware that her blue haired friend had had a crush on the blond boy for a lot longer than she herself had, and didn't want to rub it in the girl's face that Naruto chose her.

"What do you think, Neji-kun?" Ino sweetly asked, batting her eyelashes at the young prodigy.

"I've seen it down before." Neji disinterestedly replied, though his focused gaze betrayed him.

"Wouldn't they make an adorable couple?" Ino persisted, not yet ready to give up on arousing jealousy out of the stoic genius.

"Just drop it Ino." Shikamaru groaned from his position slouching over the counter, knowing full well where all this was headed.

"Stop what?" Ino fringed innocence, slightly ticked off that Shikamaru was getting ready to ruin her well thought-out plan. "I'm just saying, it looks like they're getting along." She continued, gesturing over to the couple standing relatively close to one another as the guy seemed to whisper something into Tenten's ear.

"Whatever." Shikamaru replied, his tone clearly not buying Ino's story. "Everyone knows she wouldn't be interested in some random guy, so quit trying to start something." he warned, fairly certain the Hyuga's pride would never allow him to succumb to jealousy, which Shikamaru deduced was Ino's intentions. Nonetheless, even an ice-cold shinobi like Neji could erupt in a violent rage, if the right buttons were pushed, and from the intense way he was watching the pair, Shikamaru concluded Ino was very close to the right buttons, which could turn out quite painful for her if she didn't stop.

"Don't you 'whatever' me!" Ino began screaming, moving over toward the lazy ninja to tell him off.

As the blond haired kunoichi continued her verbal rampage upon the sleepy Chunin, Naruto moved toward Neji cautiously. "Hey Neji." He began, "Aren't you worried that guy might steal Tenten away?" he asked directly, to the great amazement of everyone.

Here stood the boy who, to this very moment, was completely oblivious to the feelings of the young Hyuga heiress, yet he seemed to have adequately grasped the fact that Neji might have feelings for his female teammate. (2)

"Hn." Neji remained silent, not wishing to contribute to this asinine conversation. Beside, he, better than anyone, knew that wasn't possible.

"I mean, if she starts dating that guy, you won't have anyone to train with anymore!" Naruto exclaimed. The others incredulously shook their heads, amazed at the blond loudmouth's denseness. (3)

Neji turned to face the younger shinobi, "That would never occur." He firmly stated, before turning back to observe the distant conversation taking place.

"Oh?" Ino quickly forgot about yelling at Shikamaru, walking over to join the rest of the group. "And why not?" she asked interestedly.

"Just wait." Neji impassively replied, watching as the scene before them began to play out as the Hyuga prodigy had expected from the beginning.

Within seconds of turning to face the couple, for no apparent reason, Tenten violently thrust her fist into to the poor boy's face, sending him flying in the air, as she angrily stomped toward her group of friends.

"Tenten! What happened?" Sakura managed to exclaim, after the initial shock wore off; while the rest of them stood before her in a mixture of awe and fear. (4)

"That stupid…" Tenten began mumbling incomprehensively, "Can you believe…" she continued cursing under her breath, "The nerve of that…" fumes were practically coming out of the kunoichi's ears as she continued muttered, while she clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly.

"I am certain he will never again doubt that a kunoichi can also be beautiful." Neji assured her, in an attempt to calm her down. (5)

"Come on, let's go." Tenten grabbed hold of Neji's hand, "I need to blow off some steam." She added, before pull him after her, in the direction of the forest.

No one, other than Shikamaru, seemed to notice that neither of them was wearing their training gear, or that Tenten was not carrying any of her weapon's scrolls with her. But even the lazy genius failed to notice the deadly glare Neji shot the semi-conscious civilian boy, who immediately thanked his lucky stars it had been Tenten who hit him, and not the furious looking Jounin currently staring him down. (6)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

THE END

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) I realize a lot of you are NaruHina fans, thus I kept the KibaHina to a minimum here… but I, like Yamato in chapter 297, believe that Sakura loves Naruto now… and while I feel sorry for poor Hinata, I think if she gave Kiba a shot, they'd make an adorable couple. XD but that's just me… :D

(2) Who knows, maybe Naruto's not so clueless after all, hey maybe he knows Hinata likes him, but he just doesn't want to hurt her feels.

(3) Or maybe not… lol… That sounds more like the Naruto we know and love!

(4) Of course Sakura wouldn't be scared; she could probably punch way further.

(5) Yes, he was watching them THAT closely. Plus, he knows Tenten; he could tell she was annoyed from the very beginning, so he knew she would eventually punch the little idiot out! (In case you missed it, the boy said something along the lines that he didn't know pretty girls could be ninjas)

(6) I'm not explaining this one because I think it's obvious what's implied, but if not, feel free to come to your own conclusions (which will most likely be exactly what I intended anyway… lol)

**AUTHORS NOTE**: It's complicated writing with too many characters in one place sometimes. Poor Choji didn't get to say anything at all. And Lee only got like two lines! Kiba got one! Oh well… Surprisingly Ino got the most dialogue, and she's like my least favorite character… how odd… lol

OH! And as for the whole "hideous shoes" thing, I bought myself some crocs the other day (because I killed my poor sandals), which, in my opinion, are the most hideous shoes ever created!!! (Just slightly worst than the ugly Uggs)… But boy are they comfy… XD

**Author's VERY IMPORTANT note**: lol… I know not everyone reads the A/Ns (I sometimes don't… And actually, I promise to start cutting my down. Anyway, school's starting up soon, and I have to do much initial assignments before that (can't very well go to class unprepared), so unfortunately that means updating will not be as frequent as it has been lately… I'm sure at the beginning I might update somewhat frequently, but once I really get into the semester it'll be harder and thus I'll only be updating sporadically. I suggest putting the story in your ALERTS so you don't have to constantly check for updates, but that's just what I would do… anywho…

Thanks for reading.**Please remember to review**!


	24. Heavy

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Oh, I know you love me XD … lol… but these next few chapters were already prewritten (well some where between 50 to 75 percent of each one was already written… there's only 2 more after this one), so I guess I'll finish them off and post them before school. Don't want to cut you all off cold turkey. And, let me just say, the next two chapters are freaking awesome! But I don't want to post them all at once otherwise I get jibbed on the reviews, getting one instead of three... sorry, I'm normally against withholding chapters for reviews, but I like these so much, I really want to hear from you guys (plus I still have to reread and edit before posting)... so** remember to review please XD... **and be quick, so I can post the next one... lol

_**THANKS**_ – Thank you, Hugs and Kisses to all my reviewers… made my day! (Which was annoyingly depressing… although, admittedly only in my head **XP**)

_**DEDICATION**_ – I came up with a system! Long story short, I put all the names on a spreadsheet (such a nerd) to determine the order of my dedications, based on the number of reviews and the recentness of those reviews, I have determined this oneshot is dedicated to **ILuvNeji77**, who has reviewed EVERY single chapter… I bow before your total awesomeness! Thanks girl, hope you like it!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

HEAVY

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji painfully walked toward the Hyuga compound. If he had been any other man, he would have been dragging himself, or at the very least limping in; but he was THE Hyuga Neji, therefore he could not allow himself to show just how much pain he truly felt.

"H-Hello, Neji-nii-san." Hinata warmly smiled at her cousin, as his entered the compound. Behind her stood her two teammates who, Neji assumed, had no doubt come to collect her for training.

"Hello Hinata-sama. Inuzuka, Aburame." He politely greeted the trio, attempting not to wince at the pain shooting through him as he spoke.

"W-We're going on a picnic; would you like to join us?" Hinata asked, holding up the picnic basket Neji had neglected to notice.

Her stuttering had improved a lot over the years, Neji reasoned that perhaps being around the over zealous Inuzuka, had rubbed off a little confidence on Hinata; whatever it was, Neji was glad to see her happier and more sure of herself.

"No thank you Hinata-sama" Neji politely refused.

"O-oh, ok." Hinata replied, slightly disappointed.

Things between the two of them were not as tense as they had once been, and Hinata often tired making gestures of friendship towards her older cousin. But because of Neji's busy schedule as a Jounin, there was very little time he could spar, outside of training, to spend with his cousin. The frequent rejections slightly stung at Hinata, thinking that perhaps their relationship had not progressed as much as she would have hoped.

"Hey she was just being nice." Kiba barked, noting the pain in Hinata's voice.

"I-its okay, Kiba-kun." Hinata smiled reassuringly. "Is something wrong Neji-nii-san?" she asked, suddenly noticing Neji's labored breathing.

"I'm fine." He replied, feeling mildly dizzy.

"W-Where's Tenten-san?" Hinata asked shyly.

"Hn." Neji shrugged, though that only furthered his pain, causing him to flinch noticeably in front of the three younger shinobi.

"Nii-san!" Hinata gasped, rushing over toward him as he fell to his knees, "Are you in pain?"

"I'll be fine.'" Neji waved her away.

"Dude, you don't look fine." Kiba remarked, having walked over to stand beside Hinata, with Shino following shortly behind.

"You are injured." Shino observed, as the Hyuga's white shirt clung to his torso, as a crimson liquid quickly began to darken his robes.

"What happen?" Hinata asked, with concern strongly evident in her voice.

"Tenten." He grunted, before suddenly being engulfed by a black abyss.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji immediately recognized the blindingly white ceiling above him. He couldn't remember how he had made it back into his room, but he assumed the voices next to him were most likely responsible for that.

"Oi! Hinata-chan, I think he's waking up." Kiba yelled out from beside Neji, causing the Hyuga to recoil into his bed, at the thunderous voice.

"Neji-nii-san." Hinata softly spoke as she walked up beside his bed, moving Kiba and Shino to the foot of the bed. "You were badly injured." She informed him.

Looking down at his freshly dressed wounds, Neji grimaced as the slightest movement sent sheering pain through his body.

"So you're girlfriend beat you up?" Kiba laughed loudly, guessing at the reason the prodigy had ended up laid out on the bed, covered with mild to severe wounds, all inflicted from a variety of different weapons.

"She is nothing more than a teammate." Neji meekly denied the allegation, before turning away from the mocking Inuzuka; his irritation rapidly growing.

"Riiiight." Kiba chuckled.

"Nii-san." Hinata whispered sympathetically, looking down at her poor cousin as his face contorted with each labored breath he took.

"So what'd you do?" Kiba smirked, curious as to what could have upset the happy-go-lucky girl, everyone knew to have the patience of a saint, to reach the level of rage that would drive her to such violence.

Neji moaned uncomfortably as he remembered the events leading up to his current predicament.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_FLASHBACK_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"_You're getting slower." Neji watched, from his spot meditating next to the tree, as his female teammate fell clumsily to the ground, attempting to perform her signature move, Soushouryu. _

"_I know that!" Tenten growled, lifting herself, and her scrolls, off of the forest floor to try the move again._

"_Your balance appears to be off center." Neji observed, as the girl once more plummeted to the ground._

"_Thank you Neji. I couldn't tell before." Tenten bite back sarcastically._

"_Whatever" Neji closed his eyes in response, being in no mood to deal with Tenten's current attitude._

"_What exactly is THAT supposed to mean?" Tenten demanded from across the clearing._

"_Hn." Neji grunted, unwilling to be a part of this._

"_Don't you ignore me Hyuga!" Tenten shouted. "What do you have to say?" she stared challengingly at the prodigy with a look that could even rival any of his angry glares. "Or are you too afraid to say it?!"_

_Every self preservating instinct in the prodigy's body told him to remain silent and hope that the bun-haired girl's wrath would subside quickly. And though his pride shouted much louder, he would not allow ego to overrule his rational mind. Just the same, Neji was not one to cower before another; thus he decided to voice his observations, and then drop the matter before it became too heated. He hoped that by assisting her with the current difficulties she was experiencing, perhaps her mood would improve, and they could continue with their training._

"_It appears you may have to compensate for some added mass, to reestablish your equilibrium in the jutsu." Neji informed her, having analyzed the flaw in her technique._

_It was only natural that adjustments be made as one got older, and the physical form changed in accordance. Remembering she had recently gone through a growth spurt a few weeks earlier, Neji deduced that her added height may have attributed to the discrepancy in her balance, thus throwing her move off._

"_So..." Tenten spoke through clenched teeth, "You're telling me," she visibly fumed, "that you think I'm FAT!" she snarled._

"_What?" A confused Neji sharply turned his gaze upon the brunette._

"_So, I gained a pound! Big freaking deal!" Tenten shouted as she began slowly approaching the nervous prodigy. _

_Neji was normally not one to be easily frightened, but even he couldn't help and tremble as he looked into the kunoichi's dark and foreboding eyes. _

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_END of FLASHBACK_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Oh Neji-nii-san." Hinata gasped disappointedly.

"Bad move Hyuga." Kiba shook his head, disapprovingly. "And you're supposed to be a genius!" he smirked teasingly.

"..." Neji growled, at the irritating dog boy.

It wasn't like he didn't know already. He had not actually intended to imply that she had gained weight. He had merely made an observation, with the intention of assisting his teammate in her training.

"If you ask me, though" Kiba took a break from his incessant laughter, "I think Tenten-chan's gained weight in all the right places. If you know what I mean." He grinned lecherously at the prodigy.

"INUZUKA!" Neji hurled himself across the bed in an attempt to grab hold of the laughing boy.

The sharp movement resulted in a number of his wounds reopening, as Neji doubled over in pain; yet even that would stop him. As careless as the Inuzuka boy was, he was not a complete idiot. Taking the opportunity to exit Neji's room, Kiba turned back to face the agitated shinobi, with a mocking grin.

"Pretty interesting reaction for someone who's 'nothing more than a teammate' no?" Kiba goaded.

"…" Neji glared venomously at the younger shinobi, threateningly picking up some weapons sitting on his bedside dresser that Tenten had left behind the last time she had been at the compound.

"So, that means Tenten doesn't have any plans tonight right?" Kiba once more baited the genius, before running out, as dozen's of weapons directed themselves toward his head.

"Baka." Shino muttered, as he watched his foolish friend run out.

The bug wielder was certain his dim-witted friend had no intention of pursuing the bun haired kunoichi; even he wasn't fool-hearty enough to really challenge the Hyuga prodigy. However, Kiba's mischievous nature oft times prevented the young Inuzuka from knowing when he had gone too far; and Shino was certain the idiot mutt had neglected to remember that Neji would not remain in his current condition forever.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

THE END

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**Author's Note**: Oh, I love making fun of Kiba. Lol.. I was so tempted to write in that Kiba wouldn't be interested in Tenten anyway, since he already had his sights on someone else (hint hint), during Shino's little ending observation. But I resisted. I really do need to get a new story into my KibaHina collection.

I know I said I wouldn't be updating very frequent… but school hasn't started yet, and I don't really feel like opening my books for the next semester quite yet… hey, at least I bought them today… $400 dollars!!!... and I still have two more classes to buy, not to mention all my study aids, which will no doubt boost me up another 2 to 3 hundred… agh... and to top my horribly painful day (it always hurts my heart when my pockets ache), I went to the doctor (routine checkup), and gained one pound!!!... Stupid holidays! Stupid chocolates! Oh well, it wasn't that much, but certainly added to my foul mood already… this vacation was so not long enough…

I'll probably have maybe two more stories before my updates become more erratic.

Remember to **REVIEW please** (and thank you **XD**).


	25. Rain

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: OMG... I'm going to cry... I just found out my first weekend class is going to start this Saturday.. so instead of starting school on Monday, I'm starting this Saturday... and worst, I checked my readings, and I have 300 pages to read by Saturday... oh how fun... Anyway, to make myself feel better, and cos I promised, here's another one! **Please remember to review... you'll help me feel better about all these readings... ahhhhhh... **

_**THANKS**_ – 'blows kisses' thank you, thank you, thank you all so much… ay… school's getting closer and closer… someone should shoot me for thinking that gong to school 6 days a week was a smart idea… Thank you all for your constant support, you're awesome!!!

_**DEDICATION**_ – This story is dedicated to **Pinkberry Soda**. I hope you don't mind that it wasn't snow… I was feeling inspired by the heavy rain storms currently flooding my fair city… Oh, and I applied my own take to your idea… well technically I had every intention of doing it your way, but the story didn't agree with me, and decided it wanted to end this way instead. **XD** Hope you enjoy it, and thank you so much for all your reviews.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

RAIN

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Tenten sat by her window, watching as the heavy downpour pelted the streets of Konoha with massive force. Everyone had decided to take the day off from their busy lives to wait out the thunderous storms that had invaded the fire country. It had already been more than half a week since the heavy rain had made itself at home in the village hidden in the leaves. The streets were caked in large mud puddles, as the storm continued to rage in full force upon the listless village.

It wasn't often that rain came to the village, so people didn't particularly complain about the odd occurrence, as it provided much needed water for plants and prevented the reservoirs from going completely dry. Still, it meant nothing much else could be done while the flooding waters bombarded the roads.

Tenten continued to watch the empty streets, wistfully chanting old nursery rhymes that plead for the rain to stop. (1) As she looked through her fogged up window, a flash of white suddenly dashed outside her window. It wasn't lightening, but it almost moved with the same velocity. Using her oversized sleeves to whip away the water vapors accumulated on her window, she focused her eyes on the tall figure standing across the street from her apartment. The rain was falling down much too hard for her to accurately make out who the figure belonged to, but realizing she knew of only three men who could move with such speed, and knowing only one who wore white, while the other two wore blindingly bright green, she could easily construe who it was that stood outside her window.

Moving to open the window in order to shout at the shinobi for standing in the heavy rain, she looked out and saw he was no longer standing there. At first Tenten questioned whether she had seen him at all, but later realized she understood exactly what had happened. He had been there, but only momentarily; and he had known she'd seen him. It was his way of letting her know he would be training, and inviting her to join him if she should so desire. It had been that way since the beginning. He would never order her to meet him for a spar, nor had they ever scheduled anything in advance. It had always been a look, or gesture, followed by his departure into the training fields; an open invitation. One which she would always, readily accept.

The idea of getting out of her apartment greatly appealed to the bored kunoichi. On the other hand, the thought of getting sick from training out in the rain, did not tempt her in the slightest. Just the same, she quickly picked up her gear and headed toward the training grounds. She may not have been willing to admit it, but it brought her tremendous joy that the stoic boy would consider her a worthy opponent. Little did she know, he though of her more than just a worthy sparing partner.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

There was something mesmerizing about the way the water hit Neji's Kaiten. Not just the fact that it would ricochet the water droplets as forcefully as it did the endless supply of weapons Tenten shot at him, but there seemed to be an almost ethereal glow momentarily surrounding the Hyuga, as he came to a complete stop.

"Are you okay Tenten?" Neji smoothly asked, noticing the flush look upon his teammate's pale skin.

"Huh?" Tenten shook her head clear of the dizzying thoughts that had invaded it. "Yeah, I'm fine." She replied, moving back into position to resume their training.

"You do not appear to be doing so well." Neji noted, observing the girl's unsteady movements.

"Don't worry about it Neji." Tenten tried to reassure him, "I'm just a little wet." She added, before preparing to jump toward the nearest tree branch, where she could unleash her next attack.

As she sluggishly ran through the deep mud, attempting to find higher ground, her sagging pants caused her to stumble, as her vision began blurring; shortly after, her feet gave way under her.

The next thing Tenten could remember was waking up in a nice warm bed. She looked around to see where she was, and found herself in a completely white room. For an instant, she wondered if perhaps she had passed on to the next life. The pristine whiteness of the room seemed too clean and perfect for there to be any other explanation. Plus, it didn't reek of that awful ammonia smell she had become much too familiar with in her, all too frequent, trips to the intensive care unit; so she was fairly certain that she hadn't been transported to Konoha hospital. Still, she couldn't help but feel a warm familiarity to the room, though she was certain she had never been there before.

"Tenten?" a deep baritone voice echoed in Tenten's head as she attempted to reopen her eyes, only then having realized they had at some point shut of their own accord.

"Neji?" the bun-haired kunoichi meekly whispered, recognizing the pleasant voice.

"Hn." The prodigy grunted in confirmation

"Where am I?" she asked in a broken tone.

"You collapsed; I thought it prudent to bring you out of the rain." Neji explained. "I brought you to the Hyuga compound."

"So warm…" Tenten mumbled.

"Your clothes needed to be removed, as they were much too wet." He informed her, explaining why it was she felt warm, and not soggy and wet. Had her eyes been open, she would have noticed the faint blush that briefly colored the Hyuga's cheeks.

"Hot." Tenten moaned.

A concerned look spread across the boys face as he moved to the girl's side. "You're running a fever." Neji informed her; his hand gently pressed against her forehead.

"mmm" her eyes fluttered slowly as she tried to look up at him.

"You should rest." Neji softly replied before removing his hand and turning to walk out.

It was late. She had been sleeping for hours, and it was already well past nightfall. Once more glancing back to observe her, Neji deciding she would most likely not wake up before dawn, thus he should probably head off to bed and check in on her later.

"Neji…" Tenten called out to stop him.

"Hn?" Neji turned to face the girl, even though he knew she couldn't see him.

"Stay. Please." She pleaded quietly.

"Hn." Neji moved toward the side of the bed, complying with her wishes. After all, it had been due to his invitation to train that she had fallen in this condition; the least he could do was wait by her side until she felt better.

"Sleep." Tenten whispered, as she moved toward the right to make room for him on his small bed.

Hesitant to comply with the feverish girl's request, he decided instead to sit next to her small figure until she fell asleep. As he sat beside her laying form, his right arm subconsciously moved down to her loose hair, draped across the pillow. He had only seen it down on rare occasions, but had never been close enough to touch it. As he sat there playing with the sleeping girl's hair, he failed to realize the contented smile that spread across the girl's face as she drifted off into the land of dreams, thinking of the boy who sat beside her.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

THE END

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) I'm sure you all know the one I'm talking about… lol

**Author's Note**: Okay, that was kind of a sappy ending… but that's fine… I liked it XD Did make me kind of sleepy though… Don't know why it is, each time I write in that a character is feeling sleepy, suddenly I feel like falling asleep… lol

Oh, and just so you don't get any funny ideas… Tenten's smile at the end did not mean she was pretending to be sick or asleep, she was "content" because of the soothing feeling of him petting her hair… serious, who doesn't love it when they get their hair played with?... it's like cats, how they purr when they're being pet… I'm not the only one am I? 'eyes dart nervously'… Nah, I'm sure I'm not… lol…

Remember to **REVIEW**, please and thank you XD


	26. Fairytale

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: okay, this is something different, but… fun. Hope you all enjoy it. And again, a reminder, if you don't already know, this is the LAST CHAPTER I will be doing for a while... at least until I figure out how my school schedule is going to work out... so I recommend you put the story on your "story alerts."

_**THANKS**_ – Thanks once again to all you who reviewed, love you all so much!!! I especially want to thank those of you who consistently review all of the chapters... you're awesome... and might I add, you're reviews are getting more and more amusing. XD thanks. Oh, and no worries, once I figure out my schedule, I'm hoping (Knock on wood) that I might be able to at least update once a week. So I will still get around to making dedications to those of you who are always reviewing. And I will get to the requests as well :D

_**DEDICATION**_ – This chapter is dedicated to **Midnight Memories**, I absolutely LOVE your reviews. Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy this one... And I hope it lives up to the hype. **XD**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
FAIRYTALE  
_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

'_Once upon a time, in a beautiful far off land, there lived a great and noble King and his kind and caring Queen. The King and Queen were greatly loved by all their many loyal subjects, and in turn, loved them all back. Their kingdom was a vast and prosperous land, where every day was cherished as if a gift from the heavens. Both the King and his Queen were very happy. Except there was one small thing missing in their lives. From the bottom of their hearts, they desired a child to shower with their bountiful love. But after many years, no child was every born to the King and Queen._

_One day, the heavens looked down upon the kind King and Queen. The angels felt the great grief of the loving couple and decided that, just this once, they would interfere on a mortal's behalf and grant them their deepest desire. Shortly after, the King and Queen finally had their wish, as a beautiful baby girl was born to them. She had dark brown hair, and fair pale skin, and her eyes were the shade of tinted honey. _

_To celebrate the birth of the young princess, the King and Queen invited all of their loyal and happy subjects to come to the palace and meet their precious princess. Everyone from near and far came to share in the happiness of the King and Queen. Even the angels who had granted this miracle decided to pay their respect, for the princess had turned out far more heavenly than even they had imaged. _

_As the visitors made their way to see the princess, a dark malevolent figure, slowly slithered his way toward the princess's bassinet. His long dark hair hid his pale white complexion, so that none could recognize the sinister man for the snake they all knew him to be. As the last three remaining angels bent down before the young princess to bless her with gifts, the large crowd fell into a respectful silence. The blond angel blessed the girl with beauty, followed shortly after by the pink haired angel, who blessed the princess with intelligence. Just as the timid blue haired angel began stuttering her blessing, the cold blooded figure forced his way to the front, and proclaimed he too would bestow a gift upon the princess. He proclaimed that before the twenty first anniversary of her birth, the child would die by the prick of a poisoned needle. _

_The assembled crowd gasped in horror, as the sinister wizard suddenly puffed away in a dark cloud. As any would imagine, those gathered in the great hall,, immediately began to worry, in dire distress of the young princess's foretold demise. A loud and mournful murmur echoed through the palace. Suddenly a shattering crash silence the crowd, as they all turned to see the young prince from a neighboring province, glaring sternly at the assembled. He motioned for everyone to turn toward the shy blue haired angel, who had not yet given her blessing._

_The intelligent queen immediately understood the young boy's thoughts. Elbowing her white haired husband, she urged him to silence the crowd, who had immediately returned to their previous conversations._

"_Silence!" the King ordered. Immediately the great hall grew still._

"_Go on." The blond Queen encouraged the shy angel to approach the young princess._

"_A-ano." The blue haired angel began, "I bless the princess, with the gift that were she ever to fall under the wizard's curse, she will not die, but merely sleep, until true love's kiss should wake her from her slumber." The angel quietly whispered, slightly looking up to meet pale eyes that remained sternly observing the events, before returning to the side of her fellow angels._

_The King and Queen thanked the angels and all those gathered before them for coming to meet the princess. Shortly after, the great hall cleared, leaving the King and Queen alone with their daughter, and their thoughts. Though they felt more comfortable knowing that the princess's curse was no longer a death sentence, but a long slumber, it did little to ease the sorrow in their hearts. Without discussion, they both understood what needed to be done. In order for their young daughter to be truly safe, especially should the timid blue angel's blessing not be powerful enough to overcome the wizard's curse, the couple decided they had to send their daughter away for her own protection. _

_Entrusting the princess into the care of the Queen's most loyal handmaiden, the King and Queen said their farewell to their lovely daughter, hoping they might one day see her again, after her twenty first birthday. _

_As the dark haired handmaiden made her way through the deep forest behind the castle, a startling sound caused her to drop the baby. Fortunately the child was unharmed, as she gently rolled down a soft patch of grass into the nook at the base of a tree. The maiden looked around to see what had frightened her, and found herself facing a hideous gray winged crow, that proceeded to chase her out of the forest._

_The next morning, a large man dressed in green overalls, and his young son marched through the forest to chop some wood. As they went about their daily task, the little boy heard a faint crying in the distance. Following the sound, he came upon a small pink bundle. The bright eyed young boy rushed to the pink bundle and immediately pulled it out of the tree trunk's base. Looking down upon the most angelic face he had ever known, he quickly ran to his father to show him what he had found. _

_As the years passed, and the princess grew more and more beautiful, living in the only home she had ever known; with her doting, if not overly enthusiastic, father and brother. Though smaller in height and build than her brother and father, she too participated in the same rigorous chores and activities which her family held as youthfully invigorating. She would chop wood, fish bare handed, and build and repair objects the same as her brother and father. But her greatest skills were found in blacksmithing. _

_One day, around her twenty first year, she went out into the forest to wash her tools. As she made her way to the stream, she began humming a tune she had had stuck in her head all day. It had been rather persistent, and she hadn't even realized it when she began quietly singing it until she noticed a fox, two dogs, a deer, a boar, and a large beetle poking their heads out from behind bushes and trees. Shortly after, the forest animals began surrounding the princess to accompany her in her musical number. (_Because apparently that's what wild animals do.)

_The Princess began dancing merrily as she sang, spotting a ragged scarecrow laying on the forest floor, and picking it up to pretend as if she were dancing with a fine young prince. The forest animals followed along, enjoying the sound of the princess's sweet voice. _

_Suddenly a noisy movement caused the princess to stop and turn in the direction of the sound. Before her stood a pale eyed man, dressed in fine clothes, and surrounded by an air of nobility. Unsure of what to do, the princess immediately ran; in the process, completely loosing her way through the forest. She berated herself for having acted so foolish, and most of all for having gotten herself lost in a place she had spent all her life. As she aimlessly wandered though the trees, she suddenly came close to a clearing. Having never reached the edge of the forest before, her curiosity urged her to continue. Upon crossing the last line of trees, she stood in awe at the enormous castle that lay before her. _

_Arriving at the base of the palace, a sudden bright light hit her eye, momentarily blinding her. She looked up into the far off tower, immediately deciding that was where the shining brightness was coming from. Her curiosity once again peaked, the princess turned to walk towards the tower, determined to discover what the light was. As she climbed to the highest point in the tower, she came upon an old spinning wheel. The clean metal needle immediately caught her eye, and she proceeded to walk up to the wheel. Extending her finger out to see if the needle was sharp, she winced as the needle's point pricked her finger, drawing a small amount of blood in the process._

_For reasons unknown to the princess she suddenly became very tired. Noticing a conveniently placed bed near the window, she walked over to lie down and shut her eyes briefly. _

_Meanwhile, as the Princess' twenty first birthday came and went, the King and Queen went into a panic. They had, many years earlier, discovered the location of the princess and her new surrogate family. The woodcutter and his son had agreed to deliver the princess to the palace the day after her birthday. On the day in question, they had arrived at the palace with rivers of tears running down their faces, as they ranted on and on about punishing themselves for their unyouthful carelessness. It was soon after discovered that the princess was asleep in the tower, where no one had known a spinning wheel, with a sharp needle, had been hidden away. _

_The evil wizard, having heard of the blue angel's blessing, immediately sent out his pet fire-breathing dragon, which looked oddly more like a winged serpent (1), to guard against any prince ever entering the tower to wake the princess. Many attempted to get past the dragon, but none succeeded.' _

'Finally, one day the Princess had had enough, she woke up and decided "to hell with this!" and grabbed the sharp needle off of the spinning wheel, defeated the dragon herself, and ran away to become a ninja.' Tenten loudly closed the book in front of her.

'Tenten.' Neji spoke up from across the small room, in his usual indifferent tone.

'What is it Neji?' The girl turned to face her sparring partner.

'That is not how the story ends.' Neji informed her.

'Oh! That's right.' Tenten opened the book again to continue, 'and the princess lived happily ever after, because she realized she didn't need a stupid arrogant prince to come save her. The end.' She once more closed the book and smiled triumphantly.

'Tenten.' Neji once more called out; this time in a warning tone.

'Neji' Tenten mimicked.

'Tenten-san, that was a most youthful story, and it worked perfectly, putting all of the children to sleep.' Lee gestured around the room, where over a dozen five year old kids lay sleepily on their mats.

'Of course it worked,' Tenten replied, 'it was a pretty boring story. No fighting, no weapons, nothing! And why is it that the Princess is always the one that needs to be rescued?' she shouted; irritation clear in her voice, as her volume quickly increased, causing some of the children to reawaken.

As she continued to vent about the sexist undertones of all fairytales, completely unaware that Lee and the, now wide awake, children, had already left the room, Neji walked up beside the fuming kunoichi.

'So that the Prince, may do this.' Neji replied, before taking hold of the kunoichi's small chin and leaning down to plant his lips firmly on to her own.

"Okay." Tenten replied dreamily after the pair broke apart, "but why can't the Princess be the one to save the Prince instead?" she questioned, "and then she can do this…" pushing up on the balls of her feet, she pulled the Hyuga prodigy down for another kiss.

Breathlessly pulling apart for air, Tenten frowned as she looked around at the empty room. "Neji, where are the kids?" she asked, noticing for the first time that all the children had left the room after she had begun shouting.

Neji softly chuckled, "No maternal instincts whatsoever." He stated, shaking his head incredulously, at her lack of sense, for waking the children she had just helped put to sleep. (2)

"Hey!" Tenten playfully slapped his chest, "At least no one ended up in the hospital this time." She offered. "That's progress, right?" The kunoichi looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

In response, Neji smirked, "Don't worry, Hyuga's have nanny's." he informed her, before leaning down once more to give her another kiss.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
THE END  
_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- **_

**Considering it might be the last one for a while, I figured I'd give you all one to really cherish... and hopefully read over and over again (like I have...) and ... maybe review? (she said in a hopeful tone... lol)... I really liked it... It's my new favorite! **

(1) Nope, not Quetzalcoatl the Aztec sun god… think snake, and fowl (fowl, as in chicken… as in chicken butt hair… as in… well if you haven't gotten it yet, you don't deserve to know!...lol… okay, scroll down to the "cast list" to find out!)

(2)… lol… brownie points if you remember where that came from… **XP** … I think I might start including hidden nuggets in my stories… see if people spot them out.

**Author's note**: Ok, first off… I don't DO AUs…which is why I did it this way…

Anyway, so clearly it's a Sleeping Beauty story… sort of… lol… I actually was planning on writing a Cinderella type story, but frankly Cindy always seemed slightly pathetic to me… I mean, come on, if people treat you like their slave, you leave and start your own life somewhere else… not wait until your prince comes… at least Sleeping Beauty wasn't a doormat, she was just too curious for her own good… **XP**

Oh, and I changed the fairies in the story to angels to go with the whole "heaven" theme… I'm sure I don't have to explain that one… right?...

"CAST LIST"

**Princess**… Tenten  
**Prince**… Neji (duh!)  
**Angels**… Sakura, Ino, Hinata  
**Surrogate family**… Gai and Lee (I'm aware it's supposed to be the fairies… I mean, Angels… but I wanted to include them… lol)  
**King**… Jiraiya (TT) 'sniff'  
**Queen**…Tsunade  
**Evil Witch** (I mean wizard…lol)…. Orochimaru (what, the "slither", "snake" "cold blooded" didn't give it away?)  
**Handmaiden**… Shizune  
**Gray winged crow**… Kabuto  
**Forest Animals**… Fox-Naruto; Deer-Shikamaru; Boar-Choji; Beetle-Shino; Dogs-Kiba and Akamaru.  
**Scarecrow**… Kakashi (did anyone expect me to not include him?...lol)  
**Fire breathing Dragon**… Sasuke (sorry Sasuke Lovers, I'm still on the fence about him… he is a traitor after all… albeit a good looking one, but a traitor nonetheless… thus he's a dragon!... plus, Uchiha's and the whole fire breath thing XD) 'nuff said.

**REVIEW…please and thank you XD**


	27. Silence

**Disclaimer:**If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be banging my head against the wall with all the readings I have to do for school.

**A/N**: It seems so distant since the last time I updated… but sadly it's going to continue being this way. I really wanted to update, but I found myself with a choice between writing, sleeping or TV… Sorry to tell you all, but I chose sleep. And I'm still not getting enough!

I really really really loved the last chapter, so I was a little nervous about how to follow that… plus with school, my head's all over the place… so aside from not having time to write, I was somewhat scared that this chapter would turn out heinously… complete and utter garbage… I'm pleasantly surprised to say, I actually liked it. I'll warn you now, there's no dialogue whatsoever in this chapter, but it's good (at least to me… I could be wrong… sleep deprivation and all…). Hope you all enjoy it!

_**THANKS**_ – Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. It was my highest reviewed chapter! Yay! You all are awesome!!!

_**DEDICATION**_ – I have promised that I will get around to dedicating at least one chapter to all of my frequent reviewers and I intend to keep that promise. It just might take me a while. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to **AnimegirlKiki**, I hope you like it. And thank you so much for all the reviews!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**SILENCE**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Team Gai lived by the motto "Stronger than I was yesterday!" It was their battle cry and the very fabric of their reality. As such, it would be of no surprise to anyone walking through the village in the early hours of the morning to see the four members of Team Gai preparing for their daily training, while the rest of the village slept comfortably in their nice warm beds. (1)

It was still dark out, as the morning rays had yet to streak across the sky. As always, Neji arrived at the training field before everyone else. He preferred to get there half an hour earlier then the rest of his team in order to enjoy the peace and tranquility that the quiet morning hours would provide. To most people this would seem rather confusing, given that the Hyuga compound was known for its eerie stillness, but to those few who understood Hyuga's, it made perfect sense. One might wonder why the Hyuga prodigy needed to escape the most soundless location in the village to find silence; while it was true that the compound was indeed the epitome of all things hush, it was far from the calm peacefulness one would seek out in silence. Thus the only moments of true tranquility Neji experienced throughout his day, were those precious minutes before his teammates arrived for training; and well, once _**they**_ arrived…; good luck finding silence. Peace, perhaps; but silence… NEVER. (2)

As Neji adjusted himself against the large tree he always started his day on, he felt a sudden shift in the gentle breeze, before a lithe figure slipped in next to him. He didn't need his bloodlimit, or even to open his eyes, to know who it was. Tenten always arrived a few moments after he did; and out of habit, she would take the seat next to him and wait quietly until the rest of their group arrived.

That was what he liked about her; she understood, without Neji ever telling her, that he needed those silent moments before beginning each day. Though he never said it, Neji really did appreciate her quiet understanding of his needs. It was just one of the many things he valued about the kunoichi.

Everyone else in his life was either loud and overbearing, or uncomfortably quiet. Tenten seemed to be the only one who had struck a perfect balance between the two extremes. At times, she could be quite loud; Neji could attest to that with the number of times she had demonstrated the capacity of her lungs by yelling at him. But he also knew her to be capable of moments of serene tranquility.

_Like right now._ The white eyed prodigy thought to himself as he registered the calming sound of the girl's rhythmic breathing.

Opening his left eye a fraction, undetectable from any outsider's perspective, Neji noted that the brunette had yet to put her hair up in its trademark buns. It was typical of her to wait until just before training began to tie her hair up. Neji figured it was probably because leaning her head against the hard bark, while wearing her hair up tightly, would undoubtedly cause some discomfort. Secretly though, Neji saw it as a gift from the fates that he should be one, of the rare few, to ever witness the young kunoichi with her hair flowing freely in the wind.

Along with providing the prodigy the rare glimpse of Tenten with her hair down, their morning ritual also allowed for Neji to see the girl at her most docile state. He often found himself watching her out of the corner of his half opened eye, observing the way in which the gentle morning breeze blew her cascading hair in every direction; how the first rays of light seemed to hit her fair completion just right, giving her an ethereal glow; and how her shallow breathing made her chest rise and fall in prefect harmony to his own. It was entirely innocent of course. True, he would have to be blind to be unaware of the girl's increasing beauty, but he never looked upon her as other males in the village, who immediately turned tail upon seeing the white eyed glare that looked back at them, would objectifying look upon her. Though she may look like a perfect porcelain doll, as far as Neji was concerned, there was more to her then what those idiot males would allow themselves to see; but that was their lose.

It was interesting how the rest of the world would comment on Tenten's perceptive nature, especially when it came to him, but very few people realized just how much Neji observed his sparring partner as well. Just as she knew everything there was about him, he too knew everything there was to know about her; and yet, with every passing moment, he seemed to discover something new. Though they spent most of their time together, either while training, or on missions, there was still so much he learned about her every time. She was an endless fountain of mystery for him; a fact that would probably come as a surprise to most people who automatically labeled the girl as simple and uncomplicated.

Compared to most girls, it was true that Tenten was uncomplicated in many respects. But that was mostly due to the fact that she wasn't as high maintenance as all of the other girls; a trait for which Neji was eternally grateful. Having been paired off with the weirdest sensei and his equally strange groupie, Neji had been incredibly relieved to have found a supporting ally in Tenten. He truly believed it was destined from that moment that the two would grow to know one another very well; after all, it wasn't like Neji would be interested in getting to know the two lunatics on his team.

In all honesty though, at the beginning he hadn't been too enthusiastic about getting to know her either. Girls were a constant source of annoyance for the young genius, given that a large portion of the female population had an irritating fascination with the white eyed prodigy. He had assumed her to be one of the many fangirls he despised, when he had first seen how quiet, and seemingly worshipping, she had appeared at the beginning. But he had soon discovered that, unlike the shallow adoration of his many fangirls, it wasn't his looks or his clan name that she admired, but rather his skill in combat and discipled nature. It was those very same traits that Neji also found noteworthy in the bun haired kunoichi; and thus had begun their comradeiry.

Over time, he had learned more about the girl. He had been pleasantly surprised that, he too, had been mistaken in his initial assumption of the girl's simplicity. It was true that she was uncomplicated, but she was far from simple. There were layers to her that few people ever bothered to see. For one, she was very smart. This of course, Neji had deduced from the beginning, taking into account that the genin squad with highest and lowest graduates always had the second highest graduate to help balance the team. Knowing he was the top rookie, and Lee was dead last, that could only mean that Tenten was the second highest scoring graduate, which meant she had to be quite intelligent herself; or at the very least, incredibly dedicated and hard working, either alternative being quite admirable. He soon learned that both accounts where in fact true. Her mastery of weaponry clear evidence of that, given that no other shinobi in the village was as proficient with the number of weapons that she used, let alone at the level which she had acquired; something that not only required intelligence, but a strong will and enormous dedication.

Neji also learned early on that the girl was strong. Not just physically, which he was surprised to note when they first sparred together, especially given her slender physique; but also emotionally. He had learned relatively early that she had no family. She had informed their team of her parent's honorable death in service of the village. It wasn't uncommon for children of shinobi to be orphaned at a young age; what surprised Neji, however, was that she seemed unaffected by it. She never spoke of her parents with even a hint of sorrow in her tone. Quite the contrary, she always seemed cheerful when thinking of them. It was as if she had decided to hold on to the pleasant memories only, and not linger on the mournful ones. This too, was a quality Neji greatly admired in the girl.

She had a warmth to her that he couldn't find in anyone else he had ever met. To him, it seemed appropriate that her name would mean Heaven, when in fact, she was quite heavenly. It was the little things that made him think so. Beside her warmth and ever present cheerful nature, there were also other traits of hers the Hyuga found rather endearing, though he would never use that word out-loud.

It was in the way that she smiled at every moment, causing her entire face to light up; how she laughed at the simplest things, like whenever Lee assured her that a 'nice guy pose' meant whatever promise was made ensured absolute success; and how a single tear would invisibly run down her cheek each time she had to make a kill. Those were perhaps the only moments in which Neji ever saw the weapons mistress with a solemn expression on her beautiful face. It was for that very reason that Neji would prefer to take the kill himself. She was skilled at it, and quite merciful by most standards, but he knew it still pained her to do it, and he never enjoyed seeing her in pain.

_I prefer her like this._ He thought to himself as he watched the kunoichi shift slightly, readjusting herself into a more comfortable position against the tree.

The reality though, was that this was only his second favorite state for the weapons mistress. His favorite vision of her was seeing her in the midst of combat. It wasn't that he enjoyed seeing her fighting for her life, but there was something strangely kismet about the way she looked in the middle of battle; surrounded by her trusted weapons, soaring freely through the air as she prepared for her next attack. It was at those moments when she was at her utmost breathtaking.

A warrior goddess exacting punishment upon the weak mortals of a fragile and wicked world. That's how Neji saw her.

_My silent goddess_. He smiled contently, once more completely closing his eyes, as he enjoyed the peaceful silence that filled him, sitting next to the only woman he could ever love.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**THE END**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

(1) I wish I was doing that… the sleeping in a nice comfy bed part, I mean; not the training… no… I'd rather be sleeping… although I'd take training over studying any day…

(2) And by _**they**_ we all know who he's referring to…lol

**Author's note**: Honestly, that actually turned out a little different than what I had envisioned… but only a little. I had planned on having Lee and Gai arrive to interrupt the silence, and then have Tenten yell at them and kick them out… and end with Neji thinking something like "and that's why I love her"… but it ended this way instead, and I actually liked it better… I mean, we can always get Lee and Gai to interrupt them at other points… but this one just seemed nice that it would end like this.

Ok… so that's it for now, I promise nothing about the next chapter, but I will try to get one done within a week (I hope)… there's so much reading, I just took a short break between my stuff for tomorrow. Although read the 100 page I had to read, but now I have to write my notes, brief the cases, and try to find a way to actually remember all this in case I'm called on in class.

So, I hope you enjoyed it. And don't forget to **REVIEW** (please and thank you!)


	28. Answer

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

_**DEDICATION**_ – This chapter is dedicated to **Dat New Writa**. THANK YOU so much for all the reviews!!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
**ANSWER**  
_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Very well; I will see to it immediately." The large frame of the Hyuga leader swiftly exited the daunting room, where a secret meeting, called by the Hyuga elders, had just ended.

Hiashi rapidly made his way through the long corridors of the compound; moving toward the room of his young nephew. As he rounded the last corner toward the training space located closest to Neji's room, he spotted his timid daughter and her two teammates walking toward the main doors.

"Hinata." Hiashi called out to his daughter in his low baritone voice.

"Good morning, Otousan" Hinata politely bowed before her father. **(1)**

"Good morning." Hiashi greeted the blue haired kunoichi and her two teammates. "Have you seen your cousin today?" he asked the girl, after Shino and Kiba said their hellos.

"I have not." Hinata shook her head in response.

"Do you know if he's still in the compound?" Hiashi asked.

"I don't believe so." Hinata replied. "Neji-nii-san usually leaves the compound very early for training." She added.

"I see." Hiashi nodded his head in understanding; a slight glint of pride at the statement.

Though Neji wasn't his own son, over the years, the two had become quite close, and as a result Hiashi had grown to see his nephew as the son he never had. Neji was the rising figure in the Hyuga clan, being highly respected, not only in the village, but throughout the five nations, as one of the strongest shinobi. Many prominent clans came to the Hyugas to offer their daughters as his bride, a clear indicator that the young man was regarded as an important figure. As a branch member, Hiashi knew that Neji's true potential would forever be stifled. Things being as they were among the Hyuga clan, Hiashi often considered accepting some of those offers, to give his nephew a far better opportunity than that which he was destined for as a branch member. It was unfortunate that Neji had been born to the wrong brother, and as much as Hiashi desired to bend Hyuga law for his nephew, or demolish them altogether, he too was bound by tradition to obey the rules that, as head of the clan, he was sworn to uphold. Yet he felt there was hope that perhaps this newer generation of Hyuga could mark the wave of transformation and bring the antiquated clan, out of the darkness and into a new age. Until that happened, Hiashi resolved to use his influence as leader, to protect his children from the cruel fate bestowed upon them by elders who were far too removed from reality and emotion to care about anything more than stale rules and traditions. **(2)**

"Is there something you require?" Hinata timidly asked her father.

"Yes, but it has to do with Neji." Hiashi stoically replied, cutting the girl off before she could offer her own assistance, which he knew she would.

"O-oh. Okay." Hinata slightly stuttered. "I will be sure to let him know you are looking for him if I see him."

"Thank you." Hiashi politely bowed his head at the trio before turning to leave. "Hinata." He turned back around to face the retreating team.

"Yes?" the shy girl replied as she and her team turned back to face the older shinobi.

"The three of you are friends with Neji." While it sounded more like a statement, the older Hyuga had actually been asking a question. Understanding this, Hinata nodded her head in acknowledgement. "I would like to ask you a question." He informed them.

"Ok." Hinata nodded her head as she and her two teammates waiting for the man to continue.

"What is it that Neji finds of interest?" Hiashi asked.

"That's easy!" Kiba spoke up first, "All Neji cares about is training." His reply was met with two equally convinced nods from his teammates.

"There is nothing else?" Hiashi pressed further, hoping to hear something more.

"Well," Hinata began, "he enjoys meditating." She offered. "But beyond that, he spends most of his time on missions, or training, or with his teammates." She added.

"Perhaps it would be wise to inquire information from some of his other friends." Shino uncharacteristically spoke up. "We do not often get teamed up with Neji-san, thus do not have as much reference to go by."

"I see." Hiashi nodded. "Who would you suggest I speak with?"

"Well, there's Lee-san and Tenten-san." Hinata offered.

"Especially Tenten." Kiba smirked. "They're always together, almost inseparable."

"Is that so?" Hiashi made a note of this as he continued listening to the younger ninja.

"Perhaps Naruto." Shino suggested.

"Yeah, that might work." Kiba nodded his head vigorously. "Neji seems to have an odd sort of respect for that guy. And don't forget Shikamaru, I heard they sometimes play games of shogi. Although I don't understand why; it's so freaking boring. And it's not like anyone can even win against Shikamaru." He added.

"Ino-san also might know something. She's very good at…" Hinata hesitated.

"She's a gossip!" Kiba finished for the girl. "If anyone knows anything, it'd probably be her."

"I see." Hiashi replied. "Thank you." He added before once more bowing and making his way toward the main doors of the compound.

"That was weird." Kiba commented after the older shinobi left. "Why do you think he was so interested in Neji?" he curiously wondered.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"How may I—" Ino stopped abruptly at seeing who was responsible for making the bell hanging over the doorframe to her family's flower shop chime. "Hiashi-sama." She smiled warmly, "How may I help you?"

"You are Yamanaka Ino." Hiashi asked after greeting the blond girl.

"Yeah, that's her." A drone voice yawned out from the direction of a far corner in the shop.

"Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji." He questioned, upon turning to see the two figures beside a box on the floor where a game of shogi was being meticulously stared at by a large youth currently whipping his face of potato chip crumbs.

"Yeah?" Shikamaru yawned once more. **(3)**

"I believe you are all familiar with my nephew." He waited for the younger shinobi to reply.

"Neji?" Ino asked; a confused look on her face.

"Yeah, we know him." Shikamaru shrugged, turning his attention away form the older man back to the game at hand; though Choji had yet to decide which piece he would move next.

"We haven't seen him though." Ino informed the Hyuga leader. "He's probably with Tenten." She stated matter-of-factly.

"When isn't he?" Shikamaru remarked. "But I suppose as far as troublesome kunoichi go, she's probably the most tolerable of the bunch." He added indifferently.

"Am I sensing a crush?" Ino eagerly jumped at the possibility of new gossip. **(4)**

"Don't even play around with that." Choji momentarily broke his intense concentration on the board game in front of him. "Neji would skewer Shikamaru alive if he thought Shikamaru was interested in Tenten!"

"That's true." Ino agreed. "Sorry Shikamaru, guess you're going to have to find yourself a different girlfriend." She teasingly smirked at the lazy-nin.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered under his breath at Ino's gossipy nature.

"Hey!" Ino looked around the flower shop, "When did Hiashi-sama leave?"**(5)**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Walking out of the Yamanaka flower shop, Hiashi steadfastly made his way through the crowded streets toward the training grounds at the outskirts of the village. As he approached the forest edge, out of the corner of his eye, a bright orange flash caught his attention.

"Uzamaki Naruto." He firmly called out.

"Huh?" Naruto and the rest of his team abruptly halted and turned toward the man standing a few yards away. "Oh hey, aren't you Hinata-chan's dad?" Naruto cheerfully yelled out as he and his pink-haired teammate and sensei made their way over toward the Hyuga.

"Naruto, be more respectful." Hiashi heard the masked shinobi scold the orange clad boy.

"Hai." Hiashi acknowledged. "I believe you also know my nephew Neji."

"Oh yeah." Naruto scratches his head awkwardly, having just then forgotten that being Hinata's cousin, Neji would also be related to this man.

"Do you need assistance locating Neji-kun?" Kakashi inquired.

"As a matter of fact, I don't believe I'm familiar with what training field his team uses." Hiashi confessed.

"Well around this time Gai and Lee-kun are usually running laps around the village. But I'm sure you could find Neji-kun and Tenten-san in field 42." Kakashi offered. **(6)**

"Thank you." Hiashi replied. "One last thing." He paused before the three members of team 7. "Could any of you tell me what, besides training, my nephew likes?"

"Ummm. Besides training?" Naruto scrunched his face in concentration.

"He likes to meditate a lot." Sakura offered.

"He likes birds?" Kakashi shrugged, growing bored with the topic and wanting desperately to pull out his little orange book.

"Hn." Hiashi was beginning to grow impatient with the lack of information.

"TENTEN!" Naruto shouted, causing the three leaf ninja to jump at his sudden outburst.

"Probably." Kakashi agreed in his usual uninterested tone.

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted. "Tenten will know for sure what Neji likes!" he beamed proudly as he stated this.

"Naruto, you're such an idiot!" Sakura rolled her eyes at her teammate's stupidity, before walking away.

"Huh?" Naruto looked around only to find himself alone in the middle of the busy street; his teammates walking a far distance away, and Hyuga Hiashi long since disappeared. "What'd I say?" **(7)**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Hiashi made his way through the many training fields until he arrived at the one Kakashi had mentioned. He could tell right away that it was in fact the one his nephew used for practice, given the number of fresh patches of dirt littered the training field; no doubt a result of Neji's Kaiten. While Hashi was convinced that this was correct, there was something not quite right. Normally it wouldn't seem too unsettling to walk into a silent training ground, even when there were people out there; after all a ninja's best tool was silence. What seemed particularly out of place was the fact that the girl whom everyone had mentioned as being Neji's sparring partner, known in the village as the weapons-mistress of Konoha, was not only famous for her skill in weaponry, has recently developed a fascination with blowing things up. Weapons were best utilized when they were silent, but bombs, especially the big flashy ones the girl was known for using, generally did not remain as silent.

Turning his byakugan on, Hiashi scanned the surrounding area for the young prodigy and his sparring partner. With his wide field of vision, the Hyuga head was able to find two chakra systems stably situated a few meters to his right. Swiftly walking through the trees, careful not to be detected, he silently arrived a few feet from where he had determined the two were located. The two teammates were lying at the bottom of a freshly dug crater, both visibly exhausted from their earlier training. Looking down at the young pair, Hiashi's mouth curled into barely traceable smile.

That morning, the elders had come together to determine the future of the clan's young genius. It had been agreed that, now that Neji was of marrying age, Hiashi had a duty to find a suitable wife for the prodigy. It was the elder's wishes that the pride of the Hyuga clan be paired off with a strong kunoichi who would produce Hyugas with Neji's level of skill. Though he had protested the idea of an arranged marriage forced upon the young genius, Hiashi's objections had gone unheeded. Unable to convince the elders to see his way, Hiashi decided that, at least, he would find out exactly what it was that Neji liked and then attempt to find a kunoichi who would be most compatible with the young jounin. His search had seemed in vain, having received no information from the people closest to his nephew. Just as he was about ready to give up, he came upon the ultimate answer to the unasked question. (lol)**(8)**

At the bottom of the deep crater, sleeping restfully in each others arms, were Neji and his kunoichi teammate.

Remember the day's event, and the many conversations he had been a part of, Hiashi realized that he had been receiving the answer all along. It was indeed a good match; one could only hope the elders thought so too…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
**To Be Continued...**  
_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**(1)** Otousan means father. I was considering just writing in father, but with Hinata being as formal as she is, I figured I'd use it.

**(2)**… I'm sorry; I just can't bring myself to make Hiashi evil… I know he's often depicted as such… and maybe he is a bit cold (what Hyuga isn't… other than Hinata maybe)… but I think deep down, especially when he asked that his brother not give his life away for him, that he really is a good guy… he's just stuck in a difficult position, and that can be frustrating… so it's only natural that he occasionally act a bit mean or harsh… but I prefer portraying the unknown "elders" as the evil masterminds in the Hyuga hierarchy.

**(3)** dude… I wrote Shika's yawns and I always yawn… there I go again…

**(4)** I am aware that there are ShikaIno fans here… I, myself am a ShikaTem fan… although I have a ShikaTen story in my favorites (titled: FIRST) that's just awesome if any of you are ever interested… it's unrequited love of course, since ultimately Tenten belongs with Neji, and we all know it… Shika knows it too. XP

**(5)** No, I didn't forget about the bells, but Hiashi is just _that_ good a ninja that he made it out without ringing the bells… I'm sure most jounin should be able to do that, right?...

**(6)**… sorry, I just had to use '42'…

**(7)** Naruto's such an idiot. Don't you just love him? … lol

**(8)** Sorry, if you don't get it, you're not going to… plus it's probably only funny in my head anyway. XP … hint, it relates to 'footnote' 6.

**(9)** No, not really… like I said, this is only the first of a series of chapters that are coming up. Oh yeah, I decided to keep the title of this collection the same, even if they aren't all one-shots; because, as one of you mentioned (I believe it was Nichi Nara?), they may not be one-shots, but each story can be read as a stand-alone story.

**A/N: **umm… well I don't HATE it, because it is only the 'beginning', but to make up for the lack of fluff (well there was a little at the end), I'm going to play a game… a game I hinted at back in chapter 26 (which is still my favorite chapter btw). Anyway, here's how we're going to play this… in the first A/N I mentioned that this chapter will be the first in a series… but I also mentioned that it might have some connections to other chapters… well in MY mind I can think of two chapters it connects with. And one other which it kind of hints pretty obviously on, but wasn't really meant to be connected to (it could be… but…) and then there are three others (which right there is a hint **:P**) that it will relate to soon. (Midnight Memories… you already know).

Okay, so what's the purpose of the game?... well mostly for my own amusement… plus it might get more people to review (and that'd be nice)… oh… also, it'll help me determine who to give the next dedication to. I mean, I'm still going by number of reviews and current-ness, but this is just another way because some people are tied…

Okay, so as you remember to submit your **review** (HINT HINT), make a guess as to which chapters you think it connects to. I'll let you all know in my reply to your review (just another way to get you all reviewing**XP**… sneaky ain't I?)

_Extra brownie points if you get my "joke", and the 'meaning' behind the title (all related to footnotes 6 and 8)._

Remember to **REVIEW**… please and thank you. **XD**


	29. ANBU

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto  
_**Special acknowledgement**_ goes out to **Midnight Memories** whose stories (both from a one-shot and from her daily life… lol) helped inspire certain pieces of this fic. (I'm sure you'll recognize them this time Jue **XP**).  
_**DEDICATION**_: This chapter is dedicated to **tenjichan**. You got the unasked question! Congrats!! And thank you so much for all the reviews. I hope you like this one.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**ANBU  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"aaahh" Tenten yawned as she extended her sore arms high above her head, walking slowly down the stairs.

It was unusual for the kunoichi to wake up so late in the morning; though most would hardly consider seven am late. It was even rarer for Gai to announce a 'day off' from training, but that's exactly what the spandex wearing jounin had commanded. Normally, Tenten and Neji would still get together to train, despite their sensei's instructions; but today, Neji had an important meeting to attend to.

"Give me that back you stupid mutt!" a deep, angry voice yelled out from the direction of the kitchen.

_Arf. Arf._

"Let go of that, or I'll impale you!" Ryoku glared daggers at the tiny puppy currently fighting him for the files it held clutched in its mouth. Growing increasingly irritated, the large shinobi began reaching for his kunai.

"You're as bad as Neji!" Tenten swiftly grabbed hold of the small puppy before her father could carry out his threat. **(1)**

"ffh" Ryoku scoffed at the remark, inwardly annoyed at being compared to _** that**_ guy.

Though Ryoku had slightly begun to warm up to the Hyuga prodigy, even admiring his hard work and determination, the fact that his precious daughter spent so much time with the boy seriously irritated the weapons master. It wasn't that he didn't trust the boy; he was, after all, from an honorable clan; Ryoku just didn't like the idea of the young Hyuga distracting his daughter from her personal mission to become as great a kunoichi as ever lived. He would never forgive the byakugan user if he kept his little girl from achieving her dream of being the best. **(2)**

"Good morning Tennie-chan." Xiu-Juan smiled warmly as her daughter handed her father the file the small puppy had been chewing on.

"I swear, one of these days, I'm going to play target practice with that mutt." Ryoku angrily growled under his breath, as he sat down at the table to read his file.

"Not at the breakfast table!" Xiu-Juan snatched the file from her husband's hand.

"Xiu! I have to finish my paperwork!" Ryoku replied sternly. "But that stupid mutt won't let me" he spat out as he once more turned a menacing glare upon the unsuspecting puppy.

_Arf. Arf._ The small dog cheerfully barked, replying to the gargantuan man's deadly glare without a care in the world.

"How can you be so mean?" Tenten accusingly asked, "She's just a baby." Pulling the tiny dog up to her face, "And you!" she added, "You should know better. Didn't you learn your lesson from when Neji tried to Kaiten you?"

_Arf. Arf._ The puppy gleefully wagged her tail in response.

If it were possible for a dog to smile, Tenten would have sworn this one held a permanent smirk upon her face. Tenten suspected that maybe the dog knew exactly what she was doing and actually enjoyed agitating both men.

"Well you know Tennie-chan," Xiu-Juan began, as she commenced serving their breakfast, "We Furi-iki women are just naturally attracted to the strong silent type." The petite woman contained the smile threatening to show, as she saw the reaction her comment received, from both her husband and daughter. "Seems like Bu-mu isn't any different." Xiu-Juan added. **(3)**

"You know, speaking of Neji." Tenten turned her attention towards her father, attempting to ignore the insinuating comment her mother had just made.

"We weren't." Ryoku replied as he picked up his fork to begin eating. "We were talking about the dog."

"Oh, right." Tenten replied with a half-smile, before quickly placing Bu-mu back down on the floor. "Well, anyway." She continued, as she made her way towards the sink to wash her hands. "His application for ANBU was finally accepted." She proudly stated.

"The dog?" Ryoku fringed misunderstanding.

"NO! Neji!" Tenten exclaimed as she took the seat next to her father.

"Hn." Ryoku shrugged as he took a bite of his breakfast.

"Oh, that's wonderful Tennie-chan." Xiu-Juan excitedly cheered. "Neji-kun is a fine shinobi, I'm sure he'd make an excellent addition to ANBU."

"Of course he will." Tenten agreed, "It's a wonder they didn't accept him sooner." Tenten poignantly stated.

"Many skilled shinobi apply for ANBU membership," Ryoku commented, "but only the very best can be accepted. You know that." Ryoku added as he continued eating.

"Exactly!" Tenten replied, "And Neji IS the best. He's a genius." She reminded them, "Youngest member of the Hyuga clan to master both Jyuuken and Byakugan; he taught himself his clan's secret technique in one month; Rookie of the year, the year we graduated; Jounin by age 15…"

"There are many other shinobi equally as skilled, who do not make it into ANBU." Ryoku cut in, before the kunoichi could finish listing off all the Hyuga's qualities. "And as I have told you many times before, it is not always just about skill and talent; ANBU is a very selective organization." He reminded her. "His bloodline limit is indeed powerful, and would likely be of asset to him and the organization," Ryoku added, "however, as you are already well aware, as in any industry, moving up in the shinobi world also required knowing the right people." **(i)**

"The 'right people'…" Tenten smirked, "Like, say… perhaps… I don't know… a member of the ANBU board?" she paused a moment to let her implication sink in, "Maybe one who just so happens to be old friends with the current head of the organization?" she innocently smiled at her father.

"Hn." Ryoku matched the kunoichi's smirk with one of his own. "So that's what this is all about then." He asked, half relieved that the bun-haired kunoichi hadn't been building up the byakugan wielder for _other_ reasons.

"Well…?" Tenten stared questioningly.

Xiu-Juan watched as father and daughter engaged in a brief staring competition, as she cleared the table of their used, dirty dishes.

"Fine." Ryoku relented. "I'll speak on his behalf."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Tenten beamed happily, while bouncing over toward her father and giving him a big hug. "I love youOtousan!" She added, giving him a quick peek on the cheek, before running out the door to go tell Neji the good news. "We'll be back later." She waved, as she and Bu-mu stepped out the door. **(4)**

"That girl." Ryoku shook his head in amusement.

The girl had a talent for persuasion. No matter how resistant a person was to one of her plans, they would always find themselves going along with each and every one of her schemes. **(ii)**

"Oh look!" Xiu-Juan called out after Tenten left. She walked over to the counter where she had left the mail from the previous day.

"What is it?" Ryoku looked up from the file he had picked up again.

"It's a letter from the Hyuga clan." Xiu-Juan replied, holding an elegantly designed envelope in her right hand.

"So?" Ryoku asked, staring at his wife as she held the small parcel delicately in her hand.

"I wonder…" Xiu-Juan whispered, looking thoughtfully at the white envelope she held.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**To Be Continued...  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**(1)** Hehehe… you guys have to read **Midnight Memories**' "**Souvenirs"**story (chapter 6), to understand what THAT means. XD

**(2)** Before you all pounce on me… that's Ryoku's perspective… in reality we all know he's just making excuses, because of course Neji wouldn't distract Tenten from training (well, not much). He's really just being an overprotective father; scared that Neji will take her away from _**him**_, not her dream. XP

**(3)** Bu-mu… as in the dog… her name means "boom" as in kaboom! lol

**(4)** Again, Otousan means Father…. I was tempted to put in "I love you Daddy," but I thought it was too cheesy (although, I myself use it often when I want to get something out of my dad XP

**LAST "GAME"**  
-Kudos to all those of you go got the 42 reference. For those of you who didn't… 42 is "the **ultimate answer** to life, the universe, and everything" (Hitchhiker's Guide). And of course the **unasked question** reference I used goes back to that as well.  
-Extra brownie points to **ILuvNeji77**, who got it (even though I forgot to mention) the allusion to chapter 23, when Naruto seems to have gotten the NejiTen stuff, but then… didn't… lol  
-Oh, as to which chapters the last one relates back to… that would be chapter 11 and 16; which in THIS chapter should be much more obvious... Chapter 27 was also hinted out with the whole silence reference... Of course, in this chapter, the three chapters that relate to it are 12, 17, and 21.

**NEW GAME**  
I'm being nice with these first few games… obviously, chapters 12, 17, and 21 are connected to this one (all of them being Ryoku/Xiu-Juan stories); And, yes… if you spotted it in the end, this IS the 'second' part to chapter 28, but can you guess what **(i)** and **(ii)** come from?


	30. Questions

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**GAME WINNERS**: Lots of people are telling me the games are pretty hard… sorry for all the headaches I've caused. :(

CONGRATES to Tenjichan and Well--thatsinteresting who got both of them right! And Mokie-Neko, who was the first to guess (i) right; props to sexyinumama who almost got (ii)… it was a really good guess…

_**DEDICATION**_ – This chapter is dedicated to **shining kitsune**, thank you for all the reviews, really do appreciate it. Hope you like this one.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**QUESTIONS  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji stared emotionlessly at the swirling cup of tea he held delicately in his hands. It had long since gotten cold in the awkward silence he currently found himself immersed in. It wasn't that he had not grown accustomed to these morning meetings with the Clan Leader; over the years the two had grown rather close, in fact. It often occurred that Hiashi would request his presence for a private audience of some sort; generally it was a good thing. Though only the minimum amount of words were ever exchanged between uncle and nephew, there was an unspoken bond that both valued at great esteem.

Today, however, was different. It didn't take a genius to figure out that something was on the older shinobi's mind, but Neji couldn't quite figure out what it was. The pair had been sitting in the same position for the better part of two hours. Neji had informed his female teammate that Hiashi had requested an audience the previous night, so as to prevent the kunoichi from arriving at their training ground too early; but he had notified her that it would most likely take only a short time, since his uncle had informed him he only needed to talk to him. Generally, when Hiashi wanted to talk to Neji, it would take no more than half an hour and then the younger Hyuga would have the rest of the day to go about his regular day. However, this was not the case at the present moment.

As Neji once more tilted the cup in his hand, watching the tea leaves twirl and spin, forming various patterns and designs, his mind shifted back towards his female teammate. She had always been oddly fascinated with the stars, and by consequence, had developed an interest in astrology and other forms of divination. It seemed fitting, really. Neji, in his earlier days, had been certain of the existence of fate and destiny, but had only ever thought of it as a dark and malevolent force that manipulated and tormented the souls of man. In contrast to his darker perspective, Tenten's view of fate was much more cheerful and light-hearted. But that was like her too, she would always see the brighter side of things.

Staring down into the nearly empty cup of tea, Neji wondered what the bun-haired kunoichi would see in his teacup. He inwardly smirked at the thought that perhaps she could tell him what it was Hiashi had called him for. **(i)** Perhaps then he would feel less anxious about sitting there. Silence was usually not something that discomforted the prodigy, even within the clutches of a Hyuga-compound silence; but this particular silence was becoming torturous. **(ii)**

_If this persists any long, I will lose the ability to stand_. Neji thought to himself, feeling the icy tingling in his legs, as he sat patiently upon his calves.

"Neji." Hiashi spoke in his usual solemn tone, finally breaking the unbearable silence.

"Yes Ojisama?" Neji replied, turning his gaze from the small tea cup toward his uncle. **(1)**

"How is your team doing?" Hiashi casually asked.

Neji stared awkwardly for a moment, unsure of what to make of the question. He had not been expecting this kind of conversation from his uncle. Though he had been unsure as to why he had been called out to meet with the Hyuga Leader, it seemed very unusual that he would ask about his team. It was true that Hiashi took great interest in Neji's career as a shinobi, often asking about Missions; and most recently his application to ANBU, but he had never once asked anything concerning his teammates.

"I am not sure I understand the question." Neji answered honestly.

"Are they well?" Hiashi elaborated.

"I believe so." Neji replied, still a bit taken-aback by his uncle's sudden interest in his teammates.

"…" Hiashi remained quiet, keeping his gaze firmly locked on Neji.

"Gai-sensei has given us the day off today." Neji continued, in an attempt to keep them from drifting back into the uncomfortable silence that had enveloped them, moments earlier.

"Hn." Hiashi nodded his head silently in acknowledgement of the response.

"I will likely take the opportunity to train later in the day." Neji added.

"With the kunoichi on your team?" Hiashi inquired.

As grateful as he was that Hiashi had decided to continue the discussion, Neji wasn't so certain he wanted the conversation to revolve around Tenten. It could be dangerous territory, he felt, to be discussing the bun-haired kunoichi with any member of his family. It wasn't that he was ashamed of her, or even of the feelings he harbored for the weapons mistress, but given her family background, or rather the lack there of, Neji was certain the elders would disapprove of their relationship, and he didn't want to have to put any further strains on their relationship. **(iii)** It was already bad enough that Ryoku barely seemed to tolerate him; Neji didn't want their relationship to end up being forbidden on both sides. The star-crossed lovers' cliché was rarely enjoyed outside of classic literature. **(iv)**

"Hai." Neji affirmatively answered, hoping that his single word reply would be enough to end the topic there.

"You spend a lot of time with her." Hiashi continued, much to the dismay of the young prodigy.

"I suppose." Neji calmly replied, though on the inside he was growing increasingly worried as to where this line of questioning was headed.

"What clan does she belong to?" Hiashi asked.

"I am unsure." Neji replied.

It was partly true. Neji really didn't know very much about Tenten's family history. Her mother, he had been told, had originated from a distant land, where her father had met her when they were no older that Neji and Tenten when they had first met. Tenten had informed him that Ryoku had run off with Xiu-Juan, stealing her off in the night, against the wishes of her family and his own clan. It was for that reason, Tenten had told him, that neither was very close to their clans. However, of all the shinobi and civilians in the village, Neji had never heard of any other Furi-iki before. In their younger years, when they were still only getting to know one another, Neji contemplated asking Tenten about it, but out of proper etiquette and respect for his teammate's privacy, he had restrained himself from asking.

"What is her surname?" Hiashi asked.

"Furi-iki." Neji answered.

"Furi-iki." Hiashi repeated the name, clearly thinking hard on it. "I believe I've heard the name before, but I am uncertain as to where."

"Her father is a member of the ANBU board." Neji offered; hoping, partly, that that piece of information would allow him to segue into a different conversation.

"Is that so?" Hiashi nodded his head approvingly.

"Hai." Neji nodded.

"Does he also specialize in weaponry like his daughter?" Hiashi asked.

"I believe so. However, I have only seen him wielding a Nodachi before." Neji informed his uncle. **(2) (v)**

"A Nodachi?" Hiashi repeated, a slight look of admiration momentarily shadowed his features before quickly falling back to his usual impassive expression. "He must have a large build and strength."

"Hai." Neji acknowledged, though he was certain that 'large' was perhaps an understatement when it came to describing Ryoku.

"And you have observed him in combat?" Hiashi pressed further.

"Hai." Neji replied. Hiashi remained silent, indicating to Neji that his uncle wished for him to continue. "He once accompanied our team on a mission in his daughter's stead."

"I am surprised that such a prominent member of ANBU would assist on a regular team mission." Hiashi commented curiously.

"I believe he offered his service after Tenten was incapacitated the night prior to the mission." Neji informed him.

"A weapon injury?" Hiashi inquired.

Neji was beginning to grow suspicious of Hiashi's motives behind the particular direction their conversation had taken. It was one thing to ask about his teammate, or even to focus on his female teammate, but there appeared to be much more to the specific line of questioning than Hiashi was currently conveying.

"No." Neji cautiously replied, gauging his uncles reaction, "She had been practicing with a new method of poisoning and had accidentally spilled a potent new poison on herself."

"I see." Hiashi nodded slowly, as if taking in all the information.

Not wanting Hiashi to get the wrong impression and think Tenten was inept or clumsy, Neji continued, "Tsunade-sama was quite impressed, that she directed the new poison be incorporated in all ANBU missions from now on; and the antidote she synthesized from Tenten's calculation to be immediately taught among the medic squads."

"That is quite an accomplishment." Hiashi complimented, "she seems like a rather formidable kunoichi."

"I would not have her as my sparring partner if she were otherwise." Neji half lied, hoping to convince his uncle that their relationship was purely professional.

"So you do not harbor any feelings for the girl?" Hiashi bluntly asked.

"P-pardon?" Neji attempted to still himself, hoping not to have given away too much with his initial reaction of shock upon hearing the question.**(vi)**

Inwardly, Hiashi suppressed a smirk. Though he had not needed a confirmation, having seen enough to know the answer to that question, Hiashi had caught it, regardless of how fleeting the younger shinobi's stunned expression had been.

"The elders have informed me of their desire that you should wed." Hiashi finally cut to the chase. "I have decided that the kunoichi, Furi-iki Tenten, would make a more than suitable bride for our clan's brightest member."

"What?" this time Neji could not prevent the look of utter shock from distorting his features.

"I believe, of all possible matches, this would be the most desirable to you." Hiashi elaborated, "A formal dinner invitation has already been sent to the girl's family for one week from today. The elders will be present to see if they approve of the girl."

"Wha-" Neji began.

"Hey Neji!" a cheerful voice, followed by some high pitched barking interrupted the prodigy before he could get a coherent thought out (not that he had any).

"Hello Otousan." Hinata greeted from beside the bun-haired kunoichi as the two girls walked up to both men. "Hello Neji-nii-san."

"Hello Hiashi-sama." Tenten politely bowed before the Hyuga head, "Hi Neji." She broadly smiled, failing to notice the look of sheer terror hidden behind the prodigy's pallid eyes. "I hope I am not interrupting anything." She weakly smiled as she faced the older Hyuga. "I just wanted to give Neji some good news." She explained…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**To Be Continued...****(3)**  
_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**__**  
**_

**A/N**: I can't believe I wrote this whole thing out in three hours… wow… anyway, so here are the footnotes.

**(1)** Ojisan- means Uncle, but since Neji always calls the main house by –sama… I changed the honorific from 'san' to 'sama'… not sure if it's right though… if anyone does know, let me know so I can change it if it's wrong. Thanks XD

**(2)** A Nodachi- is a very big two-handed Japanese sword. They were not commonly used because of their enormous size, and it usually required a soldier of colossal strength to properly wield. Just to put it into perspective it was worn slung across the person's back, not at their waist like most swords, since it would be too big. Oh, and it was also a symbol of status.

**(3)** Initially I had planned this as a 3 chapter thing… but apparently this is going to be a lot longer

**ANSWERS TO LAST GAME**  
**(i)** Was connected to chapter 11; the Halloween one where Tenten was trying to help Neji get into ANBU, which of course was the overall theme in the last chapter... that specific line was Neji's thoughts in chapter 11, echoed in Ryoku's words to Tenten in chapter 29.  
**(ii)** Was from chapter 20, where Tenten convinces Neji to help her set Kiba and Hinata up (though that never actually takes place in the chapter)... basically it's Neji's same thought about Tenten being able to persuade him to do anything, repeated as Ryoku's thoughts this time around (they have more in common than Ryoku probably cares to admit… which was another overall theme in the chapter).

**NEW GAME**  
Okay, so a lot of you are telling me the games have been a little hard… so I tired to make this one a little easier… (I hope)… btw, let me if you guys like them so I can keep doing it… and if you don't (don't be too harsh XP)… but let me know you'd prefer not to have them and I'll stop. Okay, so here you go… I did a bunch just so you have more of an opportunity to get some right!  
**(i)** This one could go either way… I think it's pretty obvious what form of divination Neji's thinking about, but I suppose because I wrote it, it would be easier for me to spot it that someone else… anyway, a clue… there's one key word I used that should give it away, and it starts with the letter "L"… oh, and if that's not enough of a clue, thick of what's at the bottom of the thing Neji's holding in his hands.  
**(ii)** This is in reference to a past chapter. It should be easy given that I did this same thing in the first Game (hint, hint).  
**(iii)** This one, also in the first Game, is from another past chapter.  
**(iv)** Okay, this one's an outside reference, and if you people don't get it, you need to sue your high school English teacher… give me a call in 2 years when I have my law degree and I'll help you (lol… joke people… no one take me serious please XP).  
**(v)** I'm not going to say much or even ask a question on this one because it might play a big part in future chapter(s), but if anyone cares to make a guess… or observation or something… go for it!  
**(vi**This one is an allusion to a previous chapter… I'm sure you can all guess which.

Oh, and my last hint for all of these… don't answer "chapter 28" or "chapter 29" because, those two are a given… they are all in order after all… and one give away… well no, because that one might actually be something people get… so lets say bonus points (or cookies or brownie points or whatever)… tell me if you noticed an obvious connection in this chapter title… (The above 'rule' doesn't count for that one… hint, hint)

Okay, well hope you all liked it. Thanks so much for reading. Next update might not come for a while… but it's getting there… and I've laid out clues as to what's coming… hopefully when I get around to writing it it'll be as good as I'm currently envisioning it.

**Don't forget to REVIEW… please and thank you. XD**

Oh, one more thing… I wanted to say, for ANY of these one-shots, if anyone's interested in drawing a scene or something, you're more than welcome to (just send me a link so I can see it too… lol… ) okay, well bye for now!


	31. One Week

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**GAME WINNERS**:-kyuubi11-;tenjichan;Mokie-Neko (formerly BleedingHeartHeiress); Kunoichi-of the-Leaf; pookafalicious; and Midnight Memories… who tried the game and gave excellent responses. XD

_**DEDICATION**_ - **demona013**… I hope you like it… thanks for the reviews. XD

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**One Week  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Tenten sat lazily on her twin size bed, playfully twirling one of her many kunai knives in her left hand, as she used the right hand to keep Bu-Mu from getting too close to the sharp weapon. (1)

"Neji's been acting really weird lately." The bun-haired kunoichi mused absentmindedly.

_Arf_. The little chocolate puppy barked up at her master, as if replying to the kunoichi comment.

"Okay, weirder than usual." Tenten seemingly replied to the dog's protest.

_Arf_. The puppy bounced next to the kunai, once more prevented from reaching her shiny objective.

"I thought he would have been happier to hear dad was going to speak on his behalf at the next ANBU meeting." Tenten pouted. "But instead, he just shrugged it off."

_Growl_. The little puppy menacingly glared at the evading kunai.

"Yeah!" Tenten asserted, "You'd think he would be a little more grateful!" she explained, "But I guess maybe I should have asked first." A pensive look spread across the kunoichi's small face. "You think maybe he's mad?" she looked down at the tiny dog who had currently stopped glaring at the knife to look up at her master.

_Whine_. The diminutive pup stared up at her master with giant eyes.

"I mean, I guess I could see how he'd be upset that I asked dad; Neji being so proud and all." Tenten chewed on her lower lip nervously as she thought this over.

Bu-Mu continued to stare up at her master, as if contemplating the same thought along with her.

"But seriously," Tenten sternly stated, "I've told him before, that one needs connections in order to get into an organization like ANBU; and seriously, what better connection than a member on the board?" She reasoned, "Plus, it goes to show that dad actually likes him."

_Growl_. Bu-Mu protested.

"Okay, maybe like is a stretch." Tenten agreed, "But he's definitely warming up. Don't you think so?" she looked down at the confused looking puppy.

_Yip_. Doing the only thing the young puppy could think of to cheer her master up, Bu-Mu jumped up on the bun-haired kunoichi and began licking her face.

"Bu-Mu!" Tenten giggled at the tickling feeling of the dog's tongue on her face.

"Tennie-chan." a knock on her door interrupted the lighthearted scene, grabbing the girl's attention.

"Yes mom?" Tenten turned to face her mother as the latter opened the kunoichi's bedroom door.

"If it's not too much trouble, do you think you could go out and find your dad for me please?" Xiu-Juan asked, "It's almost dinner time and I don't know where he is."

"Sure mom." Tenten cheerfully replied, "I was going to take Bu-Mu out for a walk right now anyway."

"Thank you Tennie-chan." Xiu-Juan smiled at her daughter before walking back downstairs to finish preparing their dinner.

"Come on, Bu-Mu." Tenten tied the small leash on the dog, "Let's go find dad so we can eat!"

_ARF_. The little dog happily jumped off the twin size bed, quickly running in front of the kunoichi as walked down the stairs to go outside.

_Sigh_. Tenten slumped her shoulders down dejectedly, as she followed Bu-Mu through the near-empty streets. It was chilly out and she had forgotten to put on a coat, leaving the house in a short sleeve red cheongsam and tight black pants. (2)

"I just don't get it." Tenten sighed once more.

It was true that Neji wasn't always the most expressive person in the world, but somehow Tenten had always managed to understand exactly what was on his mind. She had long since learned to interpret every sigh, ever stare, every grunt, and every one-syllable reply; but for once she just couldn't seem to wrap her mind around what it was that he was thinking, and that thought terrified her. It wasn't like Neji to be so withdrawn, at least not from her; yet for the past couple of days since she had walked into the Hyuga compound while he was talking with his uncle, Neji had been very distant. Tenten considered that perhaps he was mad, but that really didn't make any sense to her; if Neji were mad, he would be upfront about it. And Tenten would have been able to recognize mad. No, this was something else; but what that was, was a complete mystery to the bun-haired girl.

"I'm not sure…" Tenten began, as she continued following behind the delighted puppy, who was just happy to be outside. "Maybe he's worried about something." She thought out loud. "He's definitely been distracted. I even beat him in our last few spars." She added, not nearly as proudly as she would have been, had she thought she'd actually beaten the prodigy when he was at his best. "Plus there were those weird questions he asked about what I imagined the future would be like."

_BARK_!Bu-Mu began tugging at the leash, jarring Tenten out of her thoughts.

"What's wrong girl?" she looked down at the small dog as Bu-Mu pulled harder. "Did you find dad?"

_Arf_! The brown puppy barked in reply, as Tenten allowed her to lead the way.

The pair swiftly ran through the streets and into the training grounds. It seemed a bit odd that Bu-Mu would be leading her toward her team's training grounds, but Tenten trusted the dog's nose to be able to pick up her father's scent; it was, after all, the puppy's habit to sniff out Ryoku, just to annoy him; who better than Bu-Mu to find him?

As the two neared the familiar clearing where Team Gai met every morning, two figures in the darkness caught Tenten's attention. She quickly picked up the puppy and signaled it to remain silent. Ever the obedient puppy, Bu-Mu kept her mouth closed; at least until she grew bored with the stillness.

Hiding behind a thick bush, Tenten peered over into the clearing. To say she was surprised to see Neji and her father together would have been an understatement. It's true, that since the mission Ryoku had taken with her team, the older shinobi had been much less antagonistic against the Hyuga prodigy. But still, Tenten would never have imagined seeing them speaking privately to one another, in a seemingly cordial manner; almost amicable toward each other. (3)

_ARF_! Bu-Mu escaped Tenten's grasp and ran toward the two men, not longer satisfied to watch from the sidelines.

With her presence no longer concealed, Tenten walked out from behind a nearby tree, making sure to appear as if she hadn't just been hiding and spying on the two.

"Hey dad, hey Neji." Tenten greeted the duo, trying to appear as if it were perfectly normal to see the two together. "Mom asked us to look for you." She explained before Ryoku could ask what she was doing there. "She said dinner's almost ready."

"Ok. Thank you." Ryoku replied. "Hyuga-san will be joining us for dinner tonight." He informed the girl before walking toward the end of the clearing to get to their house, without any further explanation.

Turning away from facing Ryoku's retreating back, Tenten looked toward Neji with a questioning expression on her face. The prodigy's blank expression betrayed nothing, as he began walking, following silently behind the older shinobi. There was an eerily vacant expression on his face, even more emotionless than his usual look; not a single trace of emotion lingering in his pallid eyes.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Dinner had seemed less tense than Tenten had imagined it would be. Last time that Neji had been over her house to eat was when Xiu-Juan had invited her entire team over for dinner. Naturally, Gai and Lee had dominated the attention, with their wild antics and endless stories. There had been little time for Neji and Ryoku to talk, much less for there to be any tension between the two.

This time, however, there was no Gai and no Lee to distract everyone. As curious as she was about why Ryoku had invited Neji to dinner, Tenten was even more concerned about what might happen with just the four of them sitting around her family's dinner table. Surprisingly though, except for Bu-Mu trying to annoy both Ryoku and Neji at one point, nothing did happen. Dinner had been civil, with Xiu-Juan and Tenten dominating the greater part of the conversation, while Ryoku and Neji chimed in from time to time. Eventually, the conversation led to the upcoming ANBU meeting, with Neji agreeing to arrive early so that Ryoku could personally introduce him to the Head of ANBU before officially nominating him for a position in the organization.

"Xiu-Juan, let me help you bring the dessert." Ryoku offered when Xiu-Juan got up to clear the dinning room table and move toward the kitchen. (4)

"Neji are you mad at me?" Tenten finally asked after her parents left the dinning room.

"Hn?" Neji turned to face the bun-haired kunoichi; a look of confusion distorted his perfect features.

"Well, you've been moodier than usual." Tenten explained.

"Moody?" a perfectly chiseled brow rose questioningly.

"Sorry." Tenten awkwardly smiled, "I mean… Well, I don't know what I mean." She sighed exasperatedly. "I can't understand you!" she exclaimed in frustration, turning her head up toward the ceiling in an attempt to collect her thoughts. "I can't stand this any longer!" she turned back toward Neji; her expression softening. "What ever it is, you know you can always tell me right?" Tenten softly stated, staring deep into the white eyes she was so used to gazing into. Somehow they didn't seem to provide the comfort they normally did. "But talk to me, I just can't stand…"

Before the kunoichi could finish her last thought, Neji swiftly closed the gap between the two and pulled Tenten in for a tender kiss. Caught off by surprise, Tenten stiffened at the initial contact. This kiss was soft and sweet, but fleeting, giving Tenten little time to really allow herself to fall into it.

Catching her breath after the pair parted, Tenten blinked confusedly as she stared back at the prodigy. At the moment, she felt confused, surprised, and a little worried. It seemed so unlike Neji to be so forward. True, he was often the one to initiate their kisses, but Tenten never would have imagined he would be bold enough to kiss her in her home, especially with her father standing in the next room. It made no sense to her.

"Did you just do that to shut me up?" she asked irritatedly at the prospect of there being some truth to her statement.

"Tenten, I love you." Neji bluntly stated.

She had thought the kiss was surprising, hearing him confess his love to her for the first time, left Tenten feeling more confused than she had been moments earlier. It's not as if she had ever expected Neji to make some sort of romantic gesture or overt declaration, but to just state that he loved her without any forewarning seemed incredibly odd to the weapons mistress.

"Tenten?" Neji broke the silence; something else he rarely did.

"Huh?" An agape expression firmly settled on her face. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard right." Tenten replied, after rationalizing that she must have imagined it all.

"I said I love you." Neji repeated in his usual serious tone.

"Neji, are you okay?" Tenten asked concerned.

"I am telling you that I hold you in great regard." Neji replied, "That I love you." He repeated for the third time.

"I hear you." Tenten nodded her head slowly, "And I love you too." She added. "With all of my heart." She paused; glad to see a glint of light behind his previously clouded pale eyes. "But you didn't need to tell me; I already knew." She explained, upon seeing the hint of confusion shadowed in his eyes. "Is everything okay Neji?" she asked once more.

"No." Neji answered. "I just wanted you to know." He added after a short pause.

"Neji," Tenten's brow creased slightly as she stared at the Hyuga nervously, "You're scaring me." She confessed.

"Tenten." Neji began, "I want to be completely honest with you."

"I'm listening." Tenten encouraged.

"The elders had decided I must find a wife within the year." He informed her, watching for any sign of emotion on her face. "They have assigned the duty of choosing my bride to our clan leader." He concluded.

"Oh." She swallowed hard as a feeling of complete hollowness swept within the kunoichi, but she refused to allow that to show on her face. She knew Neji could read her as easily as she could him.

"It is to be decided in three days time whether the elders will give their approval." Neji informed her. "I have been trying to think of a way to tell you…"

"That does explain a lot." Tenten replied before he could finish.

Her eyes returned to the same spot on the ceiling she had, moments earlier, been staring at. This time, however, she was not collecting her thoughts, but rather, attempting to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out.

"I need you to understand…" Neji began.

"I do." Tenten interrupted again, "I understand perfectly. It's for the good of the clan." She softly spoke, attempting to prevent the sorrow in her voice from breaking through. "I think I'll go check to see what's keeping mom and dad." She added, standing up and moving toward the dinning room doors.

"Tenten." Neji grabbed hold of the weapons mistress' wrist. "I don't want you to think that I am being forced to do this." He spoke to her back as she continued to face the slightly open wooden doors that lead toward the kitchen.

"Oh." The hollowness she had felt earlier was quickly accompanied by a tightening feeling inside her. Had she not known better, she would have though that she had been plunged into a deep ocean, slowly being crushed by the water's pressure and consumed in the darkness of the abyss.

For a moment, she didn't know what to think. Was he saying that he was happy about this? That he actually wanted to marry whoever this girl Hiashi had chosen for him? If that was the case, then why had he told her that he loved her? Why couldn't he have saved her the agony of feeling her life slowly being crushed out of her?

Sorrow was swiftly replaced by despair, as the kunoichi attempted to hold back the tremors that threaten to overcome her, along with the tears that menaced to flow from swelling eyes. As she tried to steady her breathing, she felt Neji's hand slip off her wrist, moving downward. Considering he was much taller than she was, it seemed oddly out of sync with reality. Her curiosity winning the better of her, Tenten turned to face Neji, only to find him no longer standing behind her. Looking down in front of her, her breath escaped her lungs as she saw before her, the man whom she loved with every fiber of her being, kneeing down on one knee before her; a small box sitting comfortably within his right hand, as he took her left hand with his.

"You may say no if you feel you are not ready." Neji began, "I would understand. But I need you to know that it was always my intention to ask." He paused momentarily, as the tears Tenten had been holding in slowly began sliding down her face, but for a completely different reason than she had imagined they would. "Will you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes." Tenten replied in an almost inaudible whisper, before Neji gently removed the ring from its box to place it on her slender finger.

"Awww." Xiu-Juan quietly whispered from behind the wooden kitchen doors. "That's so sweet. Don't you think so Ryoku?" she looked up at her husband who was also peering in on the young couple from behind the slightly open doors.

"Hn." Ryoku grunted.

_Arf_. The little brown puppy softly barked from beneath Xiu-Juan and Ryoku as they watched Tenten leap toward Neji cheerfully.

"You know," Ryoku observed, "The boy's not so bad."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**To Be Continued...**_** (5)  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**__**  
**_

(1) Don't tell me you forgot Bu-Mu already… it's only been a few chapters…

(2) A cheongsam is a body-hugging one-piece Chinese dress for women, but in this case, I'm talking about just the top… I'm sure you all know which one I'm talking about.

(3) Don't worry, you'll find out what happened there… eventually…

(4) They were eating in the dinning room, so they did end up leaving the room.

(5) oh and happy Year of the Rat everyone! Eek… rats… yucky…

**A/N**: Sorry… I just wrote this up really quickly before bed (which I should have gone to at least an hour ago)… but I wanted to update something. I don't have time to reread right now, so I hope it's not too bad. There will be one more chapter before this group of chapters ends… but don't worry, there's still plenty more to this story line that I'll be writing… but I kind of have other one-shot ideas to get through before that… as in, before the wedding… if there is one… and whatever else may come… lol… who am I kidding, of course there's going to be a wedding… but not yet.

As for the answers to the **last game**:

(i) Reading Tea Leaves… it's called Tasseography, but I wasn't really expecting anyone to say that… heck, I didn't know until I looked it up after writing it… but I did know about tea leaf reading… oh yeah, and the key word was LEAVES.

(ii) This one was a reference to chapter 27: "Silence"… at first blush it might appear as if was contradicting that chapter, but in reality it's not… in chapter 27 there was a part where Neji thought about the silence in the Hyuga compound as uncomfortable… which is what was again repeating in this chapter.

(iii) is an allusion to an underlining theme in chapter 16: "sweet kisses", where it was touched on that the Hyuga elders might not approve of Tenten. Of course that ones not really connected to these chapters since in that one Tenten was an orphan I believe…

(iv) Star-crossed loved… I didn't think I could make it any easier… Romeo and Juliet…

(v) This one I expected no one to get right, and so far no one has… I'm not going to add much more to it other than to say, a group of swordsmen… one with an OC from a different story of mine is a member of… I feel that pretty much says it all, but I'm sure I'm under estimating my abilities at subtlety.

(vi) that was an allusion to chapter 12 where Ryoku asked Neji practically the very same question.. only now it's Hiashi asking him. And AGAIN Tenten interrupts before Neji could answer.

BONUS QUESTION: The title was meant to connect to chapter 28's "ANSWER"… Mostly just because there was the whole Hiashi appearance again, also because there was a lot of obvious referencing to that chapter in this one; but also because that was the overall theme of the chapter (lots of questions)… I tend to come up with chapter titles after I finish the chapter… usually like afterthought.

**NEW GAME:**

Just one question… can anyone guess where the title of this chapter comes from? (EDIT: I've received a few replies to this already, and I want to let you all know that the title does not have to do with the BNL's song "One Week").. Hint, it's not an outside reference, it has to do with the plotline.

* * *

**IMPORTANT! (if you must, skip to the CAP LOCKED line, and at least read that).**

**A/N**: I am SOOO sorry. I'll try to make this short because I usually hate these A/N chapters in other people's stories… but I unfortunately I have no choice…

I've decided that because this_** Ryoku/Xiu-Juan**_ story-line has gone on for so long (chapters _**12, 17, 21, and 28-31**_) , and it looks like it's going to be continuing for a while, I'm taking it out of 1S:NxT… that's to say, I am putting them all together in their own story and continuing on from there.

GO CHECK OUT **WIND AND DRAGON**, WHERE THE **NEW CHAPTERS** TO THIS STORY ARE LOCATED.

Thank you all for understanding.

* * *

_JULY 2008 EDIT: WIND AND DRAGON has now been COMPLETED. There are an additional **13** chapters following the seven listed above)... and to tell the truth, it is by far my BEST work to date..._

oh, also there will be a second part to the WIND AND DRAGON, hopefully coming out soon...


	32. Bathrobe

**pairing(s)/fandom: **NejiTen (duh!)**  
word count: **573 (oops... I went a little over...)**  
prompt(s) used: **Bathrobe**  
WARNINGS: **Hilarity... please take firm hold of your sides :P**  
disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto! (but if I did, it'd be called TENTEN!)

NOTE: This was originally post on 09-18-09 in another "collection" that never got going. I decided to move it into this one because i deleted a chapter and it messed up my review pages, and it bugging me, so I decided to "fix" it by doing this... now only chapter 94-95-96 are a little messed up... but I think I solved the bigger problem this way. thanks for understanding... btw I'm working on another oneshot which should be out shortly... thank you to all of you for your encouragement it's really motivated me to write! - Evy (1/19/10)

* * *

**BATHROBE**

"Hmmm." Tenten rolled her sore and tired shoulders back as she entered the small entrance hall in her apartment. She had just suffered a long, excruciating day out with the girls.

Shopping was not exactly the bun-haired kunoichi's favorite thing in the world, but she'd promised to join them over a week ago, and Tenten never liked breaking her promises.

"Hm." She moaned at the pain; she briefly wondered why it was that shopping with Ino and Sakura always seemed to leave her feeling more tired that an intense day of training with Neji?

Walking past the familiar bowl in the corner of the small kitchen, Tenten placed the few shopping bags Ino had managed to convince her to buy, on to the small island that separated her kitchen and living room area. "Agh." She made a mental note of what to take back later. It wasn't as if she needed most of the stuff she had bought.

Who needed black leather boots? They weren't very practical. And why on earth had she let herself be conned into buying red lingerie?

"I really should bring snacks on these trips..." Tenten groaned; convinced if only she hadn't been hungry when Ino pulled them into the last shop, she wouldn't have bought that ridiculous getup. "Haah." She sighed. "It's my own fault..." She shook her head; turning over toward the top cupboard to grab a can. Quickly she opened it and dumped the contents into the bowl, before quickly washing her hands.

She was still a little hungry, despite having grabbed an apple on her way home. Still, the torturous outing had left her feeling drained; and slightly sticky...

"Agh." Tenten pulled at her sweat-drenched shirt; she desperately needed a shower... "Maybe it'll help wake me up." She moaned; dragging her feet toward the bathroom.

Exhaustion clouding her mind, the kunoichi hardly registered the sound of running water, or the steam in the small room, as she opened the door and walked in. Walking in a semi-lucid trance, toward her shower, it suddenly dawned on the kunoichi that something wasn't quite right. Seconds later, as if to confirm her thoughts, the door to the steamy shower opened and out walked a very wet and naked Hyuga, covered in nothing but her knee-high fluffy pink bathrobe.

"Aaa..." Tenten stared flabbergasted at the sight before her.

"Hn." Ever the composed genius, Neji remain seemingly unfazed by the situation. "Stupid mutt." He muttered under his breath; as way of explanation.

It was enough though. She understood; the muddy clothes in the basket on the floor told her everything. He had obviously been pulled into a puddle of mud, when he'd kindly offered to take her pet dog out for a walk. The large beast loved Neji, and always got extra excited when the white-eyed shinobi took it out for a walk. Unfortunately, it almost never ended well for the Hyuga...

"hehehe." Tenten couldn't resist laughing; despite the glare it earned her from the very pissed off prodigy. "Hey, wait." She stopped giggling for a moment to check her surroundings before turning back to eye the Hyuga curiously. "Where is Ookii?"(1)

"Grrrr." Neji growled; not nearly as intimidating as usually in the fluffy pink bathrobe he wore. "Punishment." He clench his jaw, glaring past the kunoichi, towards the door of her bed room...

* * *

(1) Ookii means BIG... cos it's a big dog :P

* * *

**NOTE: fmorgana and I recently started a group on dA that focuses on fanfic writing (primarily Nejiten; the link to it is in my profile). We have weekly prompts, currently drabbles. This is the first prompt. I'll be posting copies of the drabbles here (a drabble btw, is what I consider a singular scene or snippit of a scene; usually under 700 words). When I get to the longer ones, or if I decide to extend the drabble to full oneshots, I'll be moving those to my oneshot collection, but for now, drabbles will be here. Oh... and occasionally I might throw in some non-Nejiten stuff (i.e. KibaHina, Shikatem, individual characters, ocs, etc).**

**If anyone is interested in joining our group, please feel free to do so! we've love to have more people! XD  
**


	33. Mysterious Valentine

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: My longest chapter ever!… Even without that horribly long rambling at the end. Sorry, I promise to cut back on that after this chapter. Umm… the endings a little… umm… well I'm not even going to say… I think I just ran out of steam… on the plus side, I left myself room to continue this one at a later date. That's something I guess…

_**THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS!!! And thank you all for being understanding of my 'remodeling'**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – This chapter is dedicated to all those of you who followed Ryoku and Xiu-Juan over to **WIND AND DRAGON!** Much love to you all!!! And of course, I also dedicate this chapter to all the Lovers (and the fighters, especially the ninja kind… **XP**) out there… especially the NejiTen lovers!!!! **Happy Valentines Day Everyone**!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**MYSTERIOUS VALENTINE  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Most people in Konoha would agree that late winter in the village was the best time of year. Because the village was located in the middle of Fire Country, there really were no winters there. The coldest it ever got was hail and thunderstorms, but never anything too horrible. On the other hand, the summer months were torturous. Not only because the majority of the villagers were shinobi and kunoichi who wore long and thick ninja gear, but also because it was a rarity for the heat not to rise into the triple digits.

February was prefect though. The weather was just right; not too cold, and not too hot. Walking through the busy streets, the little boy stared longingly at a small dirt path he knew too well.

"Would you like to go while I finish up here?" The tall man smiled down at his son.

The boy shyly nodded his head at his father before running off into the forest. Following the small dirt path that led to a secluded clearing in the forest, the boy arrived at what he had deemed his secret spot. It was his favorite place in the whole village, only a few meters away from the village training fields, but far enough to be safe from any stray weapons. The boy liked this spot because it was enclosed by large protecting trees at all sides, but the reason it was his favorite was because in the middle of the small clearing, a single wooden swing hung sturdily from one of the larger trees. The young boy would often leave the looming walls of his family's home to seek out the comfort of his secluded space. As he turned the final bend to arrive at his destination, the boy abruptly stopped.

In all the time the little boy had come to this spot, he had never before seen anyone else. He had believed that no one else knew about the place; but as he stood silently staring at the old-fashioned swing, he was surprised to realize, that was not in fact the case. Before him, swaying gently back and forth on the wooden seat, sat a little girl the boy had ever seen. She seemed lost in thought as she rocked on the small swing, every so often kicking up leaves with her bare feet. The boy was in utter shock; not only had his secret place been discovered, but the one who had come upon the secret spot was a girl. And it was not just any girl, the boy thought, but the most beautiful girl he had ever seen…

_**x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x  
(1)  
x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x**_

Though the streets of Konoha were empty due to the late night hour, inside a well light restaurant in the village's shopping district, a packed house cheerfully filled the wind with laughter and merriment. Tenten scanned the large banquet sized room from her seat. She and the eight remaining members of the rookie nine were gathered at a corner table, having agreed to meet up for a group outing on the only day everyone had a mutual break from missions. It was rarer and rarer that the Konoha eleven were in the village all at the same time, so it had become customary for them to get together when that happened; even if only for a few hours.

As Naruto continued to entertain everyone with his wild adventures, Tenten once more turned her attention to the entrance, growing slightly concerned that neither of her teammates had shown up for the occasion. Neji, she could understand; after all, he wasn't particularly social, though he had never before missed a single gathering. It was Lee who Tenten was surprised to not see there. Lee usually jumped at any opportunity to be in the same room as his 'precious Sakura.'

"And then Sakura-chan clobbered that sucker with her super strength -" Naruto punched the air with gusto, as he told his story.

"NARUTO!" Sakura irritatedly smacked his head, "Stop saying I have super strength!"

"Sorry!" Naruto rubbed the lump on his head, grateful the pink-haired kunoichi hadn't hit him with her full power.

As Naruto prepared himself to continue with his story, an explosive bang drew everyone's attention toward the door. Heaving breathlessly, Lee quickly made his way over toward the group.

"Gomennasai." Lee huffed as he bowed apologetically for arriving so late. **(2)**

"What took you so long?" Kiba chuckled from across the table.

"I apologize, I was detained…" Lee didn't finish to explain, but merely pulled his hand (which had been hidden concealed behind his back), and gently shoved a small pink package into Sakura's hands "Happy Valentine's Day Sakura-san."

"Lee…" Sakura said in surprise as she took the small pink box and unwrapping it, revealed a beautiful teal necklace. "It's beautiful." She gasped. Lee smiled widely at the complement.

"Hey!" Naruto shot up from his seat next to where Sakura had been sitting. "What gives Sakura-chan? Don't tell me you're dating Bushy-brows now. How could you do this to me?" he demanded.

"Shut up Naruto!" Sakura scolded, "Thank you Lee." She smiled at the bowl-haired shinobi.

"Oh shit!" Shikamaru quietly cursed in realization of what he had forgotten. **(3)**

"Hey! I thought Valentine's Day was tomorrow!" Kiba protested.

"He's right Lee." Sakura turned to Lee questioningly.

"Oh, but my dearest Sakura, tomorrow is mere moments away." Lee indicated to the clock a handing precariously from a loose nail on the wall across the room.

_Gasp_. Tenten flinched surprised upon realizing how late it had become. It was two minutes to midnight. She quickly began rummaging through her pants pockets, unnoticed by the rest, who were still focused on their new arrival.

"So is that why you were so late?" Naruto asked, completely forgetting about his earlier jealousy at believing that Lee had beaten him to winning the pink-haired kunoichi's affections.

"No." Lee replied, "Well, yes. I was also deciding whether it would be unyouthful to give a gift to my beloved Sakura, but neglect the other girls." He added, and then quickly proceeded to pull out three yellow boxes, two of them in the shape of a heart, clearly indicating they held delicious chocolates inside.

He handing Ino and Hinata each a box, receiving grateful smiles and 'thank yous' from each girl. Turning towards Tenten, who had just finished emptying out her pockets on the table, placing a small wad of cash in front of her, he held out the last remaining box.

"And to the youthful flower of Team Gai, who has yet to find the youthful blossoming of love, I give you a special gift." He said, as he handed her a yellow box.

"Oh!" Tenten accepted the box that as thrust close to her face. "huh?" She looked down at the small box and smiled, before shoving it in her pocket. Turning to the rest of the group, "Well it was fun everyone, but I've gotta take off." She stated before turning back toward Lee and giving him a quick sisterly peck on the cheek, "Thanks Lee." She smiled, "Bye." She waved then rushed out the door.

"But…" Lee began to protest, but it was too late, she had already disappeared out the restaurant door.

"What's with her?" Ino asked curiously.

"No idea." Sakura shrugged, "She started fidgeting after Lee mentioned it was almost midnight."

"Really…?" Ino's eyes squinted suspiciously. "My cupid senses are tingling."**(4)**

"More like her gossip senses." Kiba muttered under his breath to Hinata, who tried to suppress a giggle as she handed Kiba another chocolate.**(5)**

"Let's follow her!" Ino eagerly exclaimed.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Damn it!" Tenten cursed crossly as she landed in front of her house.

"Why are we here again?" Choji whispered from behind a bush, having arrived with the rest of the group just as Tenten reached her front door.

"Troublesome Ino." Shikamaru mumbled as an explanation, while he crouched down next to Choji, not caring that the aforementioned blond was sitting at his other side; the rest of their party watching quietly to their right, from behind the row of bushes planted a few yards from Tenten's doorstep.

"Late again." Tenten sighed dejectedly as she picked up the single white rose and small envelope placed delicately at her doorstep.

"Ooooh… a rose." Ino giddily whispered from next to Sakura, who was just as eagerly watching the scene before them.

"I wonder who it's from." Naruto squinted, trying to see if he could see a name on the card Tenten was opening.

"Perhaps I was mistaken, and our youthful Tenten-san has found the blossoming spirit of love." Lee (uncharacteristically) whispered from between Naruto and Sakura.

"With the schedule your team keeps?" Kiba incredulously asked, from Naruto's right side.

"Perhaps it is Neji-kun!" Lee excitedly guessed.

"That ice cube?" Kiba growled. Though he no longer held any animosity toward the Hyuga prodigy, everyone knew Kiba still felt some resentment for the byakugan user for having tried to kill Hinata during the first chunin exams.

"Be nice." Hinata warned from between Kiba and Shino. **(6)**

"We've got to find out." Ino whispered to Sakura, who nodded her agreement.

In front of them, Tenten was feeling the exact same way as she finished reading the letter for the tenth time, each time increasing the width of her smile. She took the white rose and pressed it up against her nose for the second time since picking it up. As she inhaled the rose's sweet aroma with her eyes shut tightly, Ino and Sakura took the opportunity to jump from behind the bushes and grab the small white paper from the bun-haired kunoichi's left hand, as the others only stared on in shock.

"What's this you've been hiding from us Tenten?" Ino asked as she unfolded the white paper she had managed to snatch from Tenten's hand.

"It's nothing," Tenten timidly said, "give it back Ino." She thrust her hand out demandingly.

"Not until we find out who this secret boyfriend of yours is." Ino wickedly smiled as she turned down to read the card.

"Ino, I don't think you should." Hinata advised as she and the rest of the group came walking out from behind the bushes, having already lost their cover.

"I would concur with Hinata-san." Shino agreed.

Everyone else remained quiet, partly agreeing with Hinata, but mostly too curious to find out the identity of this secret man who had left Tenten a Valentines Day gift at her doorstep.

"Oh my god." Ino gleefully looked down at the small paper in her hands. "It's a poem."

"Awww." Sakura cooed, "How sweet. What's it say?"

Ignoring the look of terror in Tenten's eyes, and the protesting gaze from Hinata, Ino cleared her throat and began reading:

"_Again I find myself disenhearten,  
By my utter lack of valoure.  
My spirit's slowly driven insane;  
Don't think I can hold on much longer.  
From the moment in which, first I saw you,  
I felt within me feelings release.  
I know of no other who could be as true,  
To give off this warmth, and bring me to peace.  
When e'er I see your brilliant smile,  
I feel heated shivers run down my spine.  
Your laughter endeavours to beguile  
This heart of mine; to you I do resign.  
Though I still be unable to progress,  
Know that in each letter I did profess…_

_Some day I hope to feel your warm embrace;  
Smell the fragrant sweetness of your scent,  
As I dare myself at long last to face  
And tell you that which always I have meant,  
To you, declare, with every character  
Fiercely written down in fevered passion,  
Each year, before myself I did deter  
My courage; despairing hesitation,  
Has this confession trapped within my soul.  
Each day longer brings me to agony;  
As I am forced to play a role,  
That drives me deeper into misery.  
Still my desire for you brightly burns,  
Until the time this day again returns._

_And I do find the courage to confess  
That which to you I so long to express."_

After Ino tearfully finished reading the poem Tenten had received, she looked up to the rest of the group, meeting the bawling eyes of Sakura and Hinata, who had both been equally as moved by the sentiments expressed in the poem as she had. **(7)**

"That was beautiful." Lee chocked out as rivers of tears ran down his face. "Gai-sensei will be so happy to know -" he began, but was interrupted by a fuming Tenten, who all but ripped the piece of paper from Ino's hands and stormed into her house without another word; in the process, slamming the front door in their faces.

"I think you went too far Ino." Shikamaru verbalized what the others had been thinking.

"I can't believe Tenten didn't start throwing Kunai and Shuriken and all sorts of other weapons at you." Naruto nervously stated, discretely whipping away the tears that had accumulated in his own eyes. **(8)**

"That-" Kiba sniffed, "was" he gulped, "beautiful, man." His breath came labored as he made no attempt to conceal his obvious tears.

"Kiba…" Hinata smiled sweetly, admiring the Inuzuka for being so open about his feelings. It didn't really surprise her though. While Kiba wasn't nearly as emotional as Lee, he was far more comfortable than most boys when it came to emotions; something he no doubt attributed to being raised in a matriarchal clan.

"I think you guys might be right." Ino finally saw the light, "What do you think I should do?"

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The next morning, Ino and the others found themselves searching through the forest for the training ground Lee had told them his team used. Of course, as bad as Kakashi was with time, and Gai was with remembering people's faces, the mini-green beast of Konoha was bad with giving directions.

"I'm pretty sure it's that way." Hinata volunteered pointing toward their right.

"Why do they have to train all the way out here?" Ino complained, "I mean, there are hundreds of training fields closer than this one, why all the way over here?"

"The third Hokage probably moved Gai and his team all the way to the outskirts of the village because their training methods are too loud and too destructive to be that close to the village." Shikamaru reasoned; for once refraining from any complaints about things being too troublesome because Ino had promised to help him shop for a gift. Though, both this excursion out into the ends of the village and gift shopping were, by all accounts, extremely troublesome in Shikamaru's book. But they were a necessary evil in order to prevent a certain older blond kunoichi from killing him. **(9)**

"TENTEN!" Sakura yelled out upon spotting the weapons mistress hiding up in a tree a few yards away.

A sudden burst of flames caused everyone to fall back as the tree Tenten had been standing on suddenly exploded. (O.O)

"Time-out!" Tenten yelled as she climbed down from a different tree.

Stepping out from behind the cover of the forest, Neji followed Tenten to where the others were picking themselves off the ground.

"Jeeze, talk about 'loud and destructive'." Ino dusted her self off, looking up just as Tenten and Neji arrived to where they were.

"What is the meaning of this?" Neji demanded; clearly irritated that their sparring match had been interrupted.

"It's nothing Neji." Tenten told him, having already guessed why the eight of them were there.

"Tenten, we just wanted to come and apologize for what happened yesterday." Ino began, "I'm really, really, really sorry."

Neji immediately stiffened, ready to demand what it was that they had done to his teammate, but decided against it; for the present moment.

"Me too." Sakura chimed in, "We shouldn't have invaded your privacy like that."

"It's fine." Tenten awkwardly interrupted before anyone could get further into detailing the events of the previous night.

It was bad enough that she had had to endure the humiliation of having her love letter publicly read, but to have them mention it in front of Neji would have been torturous. It wasn't that she didn't consider him a good friend (in fact, the brunette actually had somewhat of a crush on the prodigy) quite the contrary, the two teammates had grown to be really close friends over the years, despite Neji's distant and anti-social personality; Tenten trusted the prodigy completely. Still, she wasn't going to share that piece of embarrassing information with him.

As close are they were, and as much as she trusted him, from time to time she still felt like she needed to prove herself to the genius. Tenten knew Neji enough to realize that he valued hard work and dedication; if he ever saw her as some boy-obsessed hopeless romantic, instead of as a strong kunoichi, which is what she hoped he saw her as, Tenten would never be able to face herself again. That had been part of the reason she had kept the letters secret. She didn't want anyone to know that the village's biggest tomboy was, in fact, very much your average teenage girl. Furthermore, now that she was nearing her 18th birthday, she felt as if she needed to grow up, and acting like an immature love-struck fan-girl just didn't fit with that plan.

_**x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x  
Flashback!  
x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x**_

Walking home from her secret playground, the three year old little girl ran to her house for lunch. Arriving at her front door she was surprised to find a Kuchinashi flower laying across her front step and a small white paper with a roughly drawn heart scribbled on it. **(10)**

Tenten scanned the surrounding area to see if she could figure out who had left the flower. Picking up the pretty flower and paper, she opened the door and went inside to put the flower up in her room.

_**x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x  
End of Flashback  
x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x:x**_

Tenten had hoped that the previous night would finally be the day she caught sight of her Mysterious Valentine, but again she had missed him. For the past 14 years, every Valentines Day, since she was three years old (almost four), a single white flower, attached with a small note, would arrive at her doorstep. When she was younger, Tenten hadn't known what to make of it, and didn't really think much of it. The first time she found the flower and note with the heart on it, she'd believed that someone had accidentally left them behind, and had put the flower and picture in her room for safekeeping, should the true owner ever come looking for them. The second year, she thought it was odd that it would have happened again, but, being only about five years old, didn't really question it. She repeated what she had the previous year, and left the flower in her room in a small vase, with the note tucked beside it on her dresser. The third year it happened, having begun her studies at the academy, Tenten had learned that there was a significant meaning to the date in which the flower and note kept arriving. It was on the fourth year, just before she turned 7, that something different happened. The usual white Kuchinashi flower that she had received the previous years had been replaced by a single white rose; and the scribbled picture that came on the note, was replaced with words. Three simple words: "I like you."

It was then that Tenten had realized these flowers were not left on her doorstep by mistake; someone was deliberately leaving them.

For her.

Upon realize what this meant, that she had a secret admirer, Tenten began finding herself looking forward to the day more and more. The Kuchinashi flowers of the past were long forgotten; no doubt due to the difficulty of harvesting the delicate flower. In its place, the elegant white rose arrived with short notes. Eventually the notes became short poems. The first poem had been rather simple; the typical 'roses are red, violets are blue' type poem. But as the years went on, they became more detailed and passionate. It was on one particular year, right after the first chunin exams when Tenten had suffered an ego-crushing defeat to Temari of the sand, when Tenten became convinced she HAD to find out who her Mysterious Valentine was. In his poem, he had told her he admired her for her strength and bravery, and her eternal optimism even when faced with challenges and defeats. His words had touched her so deeply that she been able to let go of the pain she had felt from her loss in the preliminaries. On the following year she had planned on staying home all day to wait and see who her mysterious Valentine was, even telling her teammates she would not be coming in the following day for practice; though she never told them why. However, her plan had not succeeded; in fact, it never even got to be implemented. The following morning, when she woke up at 3 am to make sure she didn't miss it, she found that the rose and poem were already delivered to her front step. The following year she woke up even earlier; but still no luck. The next year, which was last year, Tenten had been vigilant. She had awoken at midnight to make sure she watched her door from the moment Valentines Day began. However, she had been late then too. This year, she had determined that she would not fall asleep at all. Her plan had been to get home early from the group's night out, and watch attentively from the bushes in front of her house. Unfortunately she had lost track of time, and another opportunity to find out who He was slipped through her fingers once more…

"What is this concerning?" Neji finally asked; not one to beat around the bush, especially when it came to his training.

"I assure you, it's nothing that concerns anyone here," she turned a sharp glare at the rest of the group to indicate they needed to be quiet, "and we should all just forget about it; pretend like nothing ever happen, and move on."

"Sounds good to me." Shikamaru agreed. Followed by most of the other guy's nods and a slight blush from Hinata, who knew all too well what it was like to hate being in embarrassing situations due to a crush.

"TENTEN!" a loud shout got everyone's attention as the two green beasts came running in the direction of the group. "Lee has informed me that our beautiful flower has finally experienced the youthful warmth of the blossom of Love!" Gai enthusiastically shouted and he pulled Tenten in for a crushing embrace.

"What's going on here Lee?" Neji asked the younger bowl-headed shinobi.

Before anyone could think to stop him, Lee began explain everything "Oh Neji-kun, it is most wonderful news! Tenten-san had found her one true love, and he is the most passionate man, who has proclaimed his undying love for our precious Tenten-san."

"Is this true?" Neji rigidly asked Tenten; the livid anger painted in his eyes went completely unnoticed from all except the one that was much too bored and annoyed with the whole matter to say anything.

"Not exactly." Tenten shook her head, slightly annoyed with Lee for being so careless.

"Then what is it like?" Ino asked, seizing the opportunity that Tenten was actually talking about it; even if unwillingly so.

"Yeah, we're all dying to know." Sakura chipped in. "Who is this mysterious Valentine of yours?"

"From what we can tell," Ino began, "He sounds like the most perfect guy ever!"

"So warm and emotional." Sakura agreed.

"And so open about his feelings." Ino added.

"So, tell us my youthful student." Gai chimed in, "Who is this wonderful man that has managed to capture the heart of our fair weapons mistress?"

"Yeah." Sakura urged, "We're dieing to meet him."

"Yeah." Tenten half scoffed, half laughed. "Me too."

"What?" Ino stood at attention, "Are you telling us **you** don't even know who he is?"

"How is that possible?" Lee began, "That poem…" Lee paused as if that were all that needed to be said.

"What poem?" Neji inquired, earning a slightly surprised eyebrow raise from the bored shinobi who had been watching him since for the last few minutes.

"Oh Neji-kun." Lee gleefully turned to his other teammate, "You should have heard it. It was so romantic."

"So passionate." Ino added before turning back to Tenten. "How is it possible that you've never met this guy before?"

"I don't know." Tenten shrugged, trying to pretend like it wasn't important so they'd just drop it. "It's been happening every year since I was three, or four. It doesn't matter." She shook her head agitatedly. "Let just drop it okay, Neji and I have to go back to sparring. And don't you all have training today?" she asked, knowing full well they all did.

_SHRIEK_. Sakura and Ino let out identical ear-piercing screams.

"You have a secret admirer!" Sakura enthusiastically shouted.

"That's even better than a secret boyfriend!" Ino shouted just as energetically. "We have to find out who it is!"

"YOSH!" Lee pumped his fist in the air. "I too shall help uncover who Tenten's secret admirer is!"

"Oh Lee, that is so youthful!" Gai shouted.

"Thank you Gai-sensei!" Lee replied.

"Lee!" Gai said with approval.

"Gai-sensei" Lee returned with equal admiration.

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

Queue waterworks, sunsets, and rocky cliffs overlooking the ocean. Just as abruptly as the two green beasts entered the clearing, they took off into the imaginary sunset; leaving behind 10 sweat-dropping teens.**(11)**

"Tenten." Neji broke the awkward silence that had fallen upon the group, at being forced to bare witness to one of Gai and Lee's 'Love-fests.'

"Huh?" Tenten turned toward her one remaining teammate.

"Perhaps we should return to training." Neji suggested.

"Good idea." Tenten walked back toward their earlier training ground without turning to face the others, for fear they might jump on her again about her mysterious Valentine.

"It would be best if everyone went back to their own activities." Neji spoke to the group. "Unless you wish to resign yourselves to the onslaught of Tenten's weapons. I assure you, though her aim is prefect, my Kaiten's deflection is not as true." Neji eloquently warned before proceeding to follow his sparing partner into their training area.

"What did he say?" Ino turned to ask Sakura.

"I think he told us to leave otherwise we might get hurt." Sakura answered.

"Well why didn't he just say that?" Naruto yelled rubbing his head from the pain of trying to figure out Neji's words.

"He's considered a genius too, right?" Choji stated, "I prefer geniuses like Shikamaru." He turned to his best friend who smiled back at his friends compliment, "Because you don't use big words like Neji. Or like that poem last night, there were way too many big words."

Shikamaru smirked as realization, of what he had long since figured out finally started hitting every else.

"No." Sakura said incredulously. "Neji?"

"Oh my god!" Ino stood slack jawed at the discovery.

"And I thought he was a human ice-cube inside." Kiba also said disbelievingly.

"There is a white garden rose garden in the compound." Hinata observed.

"What are you guy's saying?" Naruto turned back and forth wondering what everyone was talking about. (A/N: lol)

"Idiot." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"WE-" Ino began.

"Don't even think about!" Shikamaru stopped her.

"If you don't want to be a part of it, that's fine!" Ino huffed, angry at Shikamaru's uncharacteristic interruption.

"Allow me to interpret what Neji said before he left." Shikamaru began in a forewarning tone, "One genius interpreting another. Sakura's right, he did tell us to 'leave or we'd get hurt'." Shikamaru paused, "but he also said, 'Mind your own business,' or HE'LL hurt us."

"What?" Ino exclaimed skeptically, "When did he say that?"

"When he warned that if Tenten-san's weapons did not injure us, his Kaiten would." Shino finished for Shikamaru.

"But I thought…" Sakura began.

"Never trust the superficial meaning of complicated words used by a guy like Neji." Shikamaru warned. "If he wanted to say something simple, he's use words like me. If he uses big words, it means he's saying more."

"Nii-san never chooses his words carelessly." Hinata nodded, agreeing with Shikamaru.

Of course, every knew Neji rarely ever spoke; but when he did… he made it count!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**The end (12)  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: I swear to you, I'm going to try and cut back on the randomness after the "THE END" stuff… it's so long, it's practically a story all on it's own!... next shot…

Oh, btw… I realize I never said what Lee's special gift to Tenten was, let's all just assume it was a pair of green spandex. **XP**

**HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!**

**FOOTNOTES  
(1)** In case you all didn't figure it out, that was a flashback… but I didn't want to make it too obvious (hoping most people don't read these footnotes until the very end **XP**)  
**(2)** Gomennasai means "I beg your pardon" or "excuse me"… which basically means "Sorry" (but since I used that word up so much last 'chapter', I decided to use Gomennasai instead… plus I was listening to the T.a.t.u. song by that same name…)  
**(3)**… I was going to use that as the GAME, but later on I basically revealed what it was the Shika-(potty-mouth)-maru was cursing about…  
**(4)** I was trying to think of something like 'Spidy sense's" but having to do with romance… and this was all I could come up with. **XP  
(5)** Come on! It's V-Day, how could I NOT include a little something of my second favorite Naruto pairing (it was also placed in there to help give a clue to footnote 3, but then when I revealed the answer to it, it wasn't necessary, but I kept it).  
**(6)** … go to NEW GAME…  
**(7)** lol… I am aware of the self flattery in those words… but to my defense, I actually wrote the poem last, therefore I wasn't really being vain with the high praises. XP  
**(8)** That line would have been part of the NEW GAME… but I highly doubt anyone would have caught the homage to my very first fanfic submission, from chapter one in WSFO, where Naruto was bombarded by an array of weapons, courtesy of our favorite weapons mistress. I just realized, come March 21st I'll have been a fanfic member for one whole year! (Which by most people's standards probably isn't all that long, but still… it's a milestone **XP**)  
**(9)** And that's where I gave it away!... but hey if you want to guess, by all means go for it!  
**(10)** Kuchinashi is what the Japanese call Gardenias… Gardenias are white follower (well a little yellowish), that represent "secret love"… they also mean "you're lovely"… but clearly, here the secret love is more appropriate for the story…  
**(11)** lol… it's been so long since I've done one of those scenes… lol… just throwing it back to when I first started writing fanfics.  
**(12)** this is my longest chapter ever! The previous record having once belonged to MISSION from D&W. just about 5000 words without all this extra stuff (a little over 6000 with it… dang, that's way too much extra! Definitely going to have to cut back). anyway, I might… most likely… continue this some time, way later in the future… for now, hope you all liked it. It was kind of crack-ish, but at least the poem's nice. **XD**

**PREVIOUS GAME**: though it's from D&W now, I'll give it to you here, but from now on, each to it's own story. The question Ryoku asked was whether Neji had feelings for Tenten (in "DO YOU?"), which he finally got his answer in "BLESSING". Congrats to everyone who got it (and most of you did, or at least half did)!

**NEW GAME**: originally it was going to be, "Why did Shika Curse", but I all but gave it away. If you didn't get it, 'HINT' _her_ name is mentioned only once in the entire fic… and of course, footnote 9 is key. **XD**  
This chapter's game revolves around footnote 6… "When the nine of them are hiding in the bushes, what order are they in?" This one is right there for you all, it shouldn't be difficult to get.

**ABOUT THE POEM**:  
Initially I had no real plan for the poem, all I knew was that I wanted to write a poem… so the first stanza turned out to be a Shakespearean sonnet, but it didn't seem quite done. I mean, I still think, as an overall sonnet, it could stand well on it's own, but for the purposes of this story, it didn't work… so realizing I couldn't end it there, but not wanting to throw it out completely, I decided I'd write a second stanza, and since I realized the first one had been a Shakespearean sonnet (lol… yeah, I wrote it in the rhyme scheme without realizing it), I decided to purposefully make the second stanza also in a Shakespearean sonnet rhyme scheme… Originally they were all 7 syllable lines, but then I thought, "what the hell, if I'm going to call them S-Sonnets, I should at least try to get them into iambic pentameter"… which if anyone recalls from "hopeless" (now comfortably in it's new home on **WIND AND DRAGON**), I don't LIKE iambic pentameter… Still, I decided to give it a try… and I managed to get it to 9 syllables per line… and I happen to know that sometimes 9 or 11 syllables would still be considered IP, so I was going to leave it at that… however, as I was editing and moving words around to make them more poetic, I happen to add an extra syllable (with some creativity in a few lines) to each line, thereby officially making them IP… oh, and the rhyme scheme, if anyone's interested, for a Shakespearean sonnet is: ABABCDCDEFEFGG… oh, and the very last stanza was added because I felt that there still needed to be something more… but being lazy, I decided to make it a couplet instead of going for another S-Sonnet… but it is still in IP. Yay me!!! XD

**ONE MORE THING**:  
I don't know if it's JUST ME… and the fact that I seem to read poems by emphasizing the meter instead of just as they flow… but because of it, it kind of made the poem a little awkward for me to read the way that it was formatted (which, I must add, is the CORRECT format, but… if you look at a Shakespearean sonnet, sometimes you have to read it as if ending a sentence in the middle of a line and beginning a new sentence right after… but because most of us are used to reading a line that's broken apart from the rest as a single sentence, or at least, as a sentence ending at the end of a line that's set apart and not in the middle of a line… it can get a little awkward)… anyway, if you had that problem, I've reposted the poem below in the manner in which it should have been read… so… if you didn't get it, here it is again… enjoy! (ps… even though it probably makes more sense this way… there's a few lines that could have easily been connected in a different way… and that was intentional… so don't be surprised if you thought a certain phrase belonged connected to the part before/after it, instead of the part it's paired with below. That's the beauty of poetry… no one ever really reads the same thing).

**NEJI'S POEM IN READING FORMAT (not actual format):**  
"_Again I find myself disenhearten, By my utter lack of valoure.  
My spirit's slowly driven insane; Don't think I can hold on much longer.  
From the moment in which, first I saw you, I felt within me feelings release.  
I know of no other who could be as true, To give off this warmth, and bring me to peace.  
When e'er I see your brilliant smile, I feel heated shivers run down my spine.  
Your laughter endeavours to beguile This heart of mine;  
to you I do resign.  
Though I still be unable to progress, Know that in each letter I did profess…  
Some day I hope to feel your warm embrace; Smell the fragrant sweetness of your scent, As I dare myself at long last to face And tell you that which always I have meant, To you, declare, with every character Fiercely written down in fevered passion, Each year, before myself I did deter My courage;  
despairing hesitation ,Has this confession trapped within my soul.  
Each day longer brings me to agony; As I am forced to play a role, That drives me deeper into misery.  
Still my desire for you brightly burns, Until the time this day again returns.  
And I do find the courage to confess That which to you I so long to express."_


	34. No1 Crush

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Sorry this update took so long, unfortunately I'm in midterms right now, so my updating isn't going to be as fast as I'd like. Also, for those of you waiting for an update on **W and D**, I'm afraid it's going to be a while… I ran into a wall, and I have no idea where to go with it… but I'm sure I'll figure it out. In the mean time enjoy the one-shot collection… Also, check out my Profile for some NejiTen Fanart!

**WARNING**: These next 3 chapters (which are all going to be connected, and all songfics) are not going to be my typical "happily ever after" stories…. Again, I'm warning you all, this will NOT have a happy ending… but it'll be worth it I assure you.

_**SONG:**__**No. 1 Crush**__** by **_**Garbage.** I thought of this plot a while back, and the song just seemed to fit it.

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

**GAME WINNERS**:  
_fmorgana-bluenausicaa, shining kitsune, Ceridwen Inari, Kunoichi-of the-Leaf (_knew you could!_), AmethystDreamer, Shadeehue_, and... I'm pretty sure through PM_, tenjichan _got it right too!!! EDIT:... oh and _BleedingHeartHeiress-v2.0_... (I am sooo sooo sorry I forgot you.. I actually had you writen down but I guess when I typing it down, I skipped your penname... even despite how much I've told you I like it... sorry 0X( )

Kudos to_ fmorgana-bluenausicaa, Hexxgirl, _and_ Midnight Memories _who got the ShikaTem Bonus Question!

_**DEDICATION**_ – **AmethystDreamer**, thanks for all the reviews… hope you don't mind that your dedicated chapter's a little bit gloomy XP…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**NO. 1 CRUSH  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

His heart was beating painfully fast. The muscles in his legs felt like they were slowly ripping apart as he rushed toward the main village gates. It felt like it had taken forever, but at last, the village was within sight of his byakugan. As exhausted as Neji was, he knew that he had to keep moving forward; he had to get _**her**_ to the hospital. The village was less than a thousand meters, the current distance of his field of vision; but to him, the distance never seemed further that it did at that moment.

Behind him, Neji could see his two other teammate's worried expressions, as they ran as quickly as possible to try and keep up with the young Hyuga. It was a true wonder that Neji had been able to outrun even those two; a feat not easily accomplished under normal conditions, let alone in the current state he found himself.

"Neji!" Lee yelled out from behind the byakugan user to halt; the exhaustion evident in his weary voice.

Neji, however, did not even pause. He was well aware that a shinobi had to verify his entry into the village at the guard's station, before heading toward the Hokage's tower to debrief; it was one of the most basic rules in the shinobi handbook. But Neji refused to stop. There was no point in wasting time; if he got into any trouble for violating the village rule, then so be it.

Rounding the last corner, Neji headed toward the front doors of Konoha Hospital. He made sure to kick the doors open with his foot before entering, so as to avoid hitting Tenten as he burst in. He entrance, worthy of any of Gai's destructive 'Dynamic entries' immediately earned the attention of all those gathered in the main reception. As luck would have it, Tsunade was making her daily rounds of the hospital.

"Neji?" Sakura called out in surprise from beside the Hokage, before looking down at Neji's arms and seeing Tenten clenched tightly in his arms, as dried blood clung to both their clothes.

"Give her to me!" Tsunade ordered, immediately rushing to the pair's side and signaling for assistance from across the hall.

The formally quiet hall erupted into a frenzy, as medics swiftly moved into action. Neji stood in silent observation as the medics took Tenten from his arms, tearing his shirt off in the process, due to the enormous amount of blood that caused the material of both their clothing to stick together. Never had he felt weaker or more useless than he did at that moment, watching as the men and women in white clothes hurriedly moved through the hall to get Tenten to the operating room.

As he watched Tsunade and her staff take Tenten away, Lee and Gai broke through the front doors and headed straight for the byakugan user, who was being attended to by Sakura.

"Where's Tenten?" Lee asked, visibly shaken and tired.

"They took her into the O.R." Sakura informed the two new arrivals.

"How is she?" Gai asked; concern evident in his eyes.

"We're not sure yet," Sakura replied, as whipped the blood off of Neji to see whether he was wounded. "Tsunade-sama is with her." Sakura hoped that information would at least bring some comfort to the two men.

"Then she'll be okay?" Lee asked hopefully, between tears and sniffles.

"Of course she will." Gai reassured Lee, before turning his attention toward Neji, who seemed to be unaware of his surroundings. "Neji?" Gai called his other student.

"…" Neji didn't hear him though. His gaze was firmly planted on the doors that had been left swinging behind the medic's who had catered Tenten away.

"Sakura?" Gai looked at the young medic questioningly.

"He'll be fine." Sakura replied, understanding the sensei was worried about both of his students. "It's just some minor wounds, nothing too grave."

"Good." Gai nodded, glad to hear that Neji had not over exerted himself, though he still found it difficult to believe that the wounded genius hadn't caused more damage to himself by running at the speed he had, in the condition he had been in.

"What happened?" Sakura asked, as she moved the glowing green chakra over the deeper wounds on Neji's torso.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**I would die for you  
I would die for you  
I've been dying just to feel you by my side  
To know that you're mine  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**-:-:-:-**_FLASHBACK_**-:-:-:-**_

Information detailing the mission Team Gai had been hired to do, held that the documents the client request were guarded by a group of street thugs. They were common criminals, none of which were skilled in the shinobi arts, thus classifying the task as a "B rank" mission; a simple enough assignment.

Upon arriving at the designated location, Team Gai had managed to take out the majority of the guards in no time at all. Gai and Lee had been on the opposite side of the enemy camp, having gone in to retrieve the documents, while Neji and Tenten had been in charge of deploying the traps and standing guard until the other two members of their team joined up with them to head back to Konoha.

With the enemy completely subdued, Neji and Tenten waited in their pre-agreed rendezvous point for Lee and Gai to arrive with the documents. It had happened without warning, before even Neji's byakugan could see it coming; a barrage of weapons came flying straight toward the Hyuga's blind spot. Being the weapons' expert that she was, Tenten had instantaneously recognized the shrill ringing of metal ripping through the air. She had turned just in time to see the glimmer of steel as light reflected off the projectiles. With no time to warn him, Tenten had instinctively rushed toward Neji, throwing her body between him and the oncoming metal storm.

Neji had felt her presence as she approached his side, but had thought nothing of it, since he had many times before scanned the surrounding area with his byakugan to see if they had missed any of the guards. His field of vision had grown tremendously over the years, thus he had felt confident that there was nothing that could have presented a threat to them at that present moment. Still, being the ever cautious Hyuga that he was, he wondered why the female member of his team had approached him, and thus had angled his head toward her direction just in time to see her battered body come crashing into his board back, as the force of the heavy weapons piercing her back, sent her falling forward. A second wave of weapons came shortly after; impaling more weapons into the petite kunoichi's body, before Neji instinctively took hold of her and then spun them around, shielding the kunoichi with his own body. Neji had scarcely felt the pain as his flesh was pierced by numerous sharp weapons. All he had been able to see was his female teammate going limp in his arms, as he held her wounded body protectively to his chest.

_**-:-:-:-**_END FLASHBACK_**-:-:-:-**_

"When Lee and I got there, Neji had already defeated the shinobi that had been hiding in the shadows and picked Tenten up and began running towards the village." Gai finished explaining to the pink haired kunoichi, what had happened, as she continued to heal the pensive Hyuga, who still seemed to be lost in his own mind.

"I can't believe he carried her all this way, in his condition." Sakura stated in amazement.

"It was by sheer will that he was able to suppress his own pain just to get her to safety." Gai replied, equally as impressed by the Hyuga's determination.

"He must really care about her." Sakura somberly mused, as she remembered a time when she had cared that much about someone else. (i)

"Neji-kun has always cared very deeply about Tenten-san." Lee weakly commented from his spot on the floor where he had been tearfully observing his silent teammate.

In part, he had said it because Lee believed it to be true that Neji secretly held feelings for their female teammate; but another part of him said it to see if he could get any sort of reaction out of the Hyuga, who he believed would undoubtedly deny, or at the very least become annoyed by the suggestion. Lee, though often considered to be completely oblivious to the world around him, had long suspected that Neji felt the same way about the weapons mistress as Lee felt about the pink haired medic; perhaps even more strongly. As for Tenten, Lee had long ago confirmed that she harbored feelings for the Hyuga prodigy, and had been sworn to secrecy, on threat of decapitation, by said weapons mistress.

Lee, had no doubt that Tenten's actions had been a direct result of her feelings for the Hyuga; he was certain that she hadn't knowingly put herself at deaths door, but that, had she been faced with the option of choosing to die for Neji, she would have done so without hesitation. Unfortunately, Lee could tell that Neji was thinking along the same lines as he was. Only, Lee was certain Neji, as yet, did not comprehend why the Kunoichi had done what she did; why she had chosen to risk her life to save his.

**  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__**I will cry for you  
I will cry for you  
I will wash away your pain with all my tears  
And drown your fear  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji continued to blankly stare at the white hospital walls as he and his team waited anxiously for news from Tsunade. Sakura had been with them most of the time, healing Neji's wounds, and then Gai and Lee's, before turning her attention to filling out the necessary paper work, as they all waited for the flashing Operating Light to turn off and someone to step through the doors to tell them what their female teammate's condition was.

He had not spoken a single word since their explosive entry into the hospital; nor had he acknowledged anyone else's presence as he maintained his firm gaze on the doors that led to where Tenten's fate currently hung in the balance. He had of course heard the conversations taking place around him; for some strange reason, all his senses seemed to have heightened to a degree that, until this moment, had been unknown to him. Even his impressive eyes seemed to detect the world around him in a different light.

When he had been running with Tenten in his arms, Neji had felt like time had slowed down to an unbearably decelerated speed. Distances had seemed farther than they should have been. Colors had seemed paler; and sounds had seemed hollow. Neji had attributed it all to the adrenaline running through his body, as he sped through the trees on his way to Konoha. But, now that his body had had time to cool down and the adrenaline rush had left him, it made no sense why everything still seemed to be moving at the same speed.

It was unsettling, he decided. There was no logical reason for those sensations to continue; it made him feel almost as if he were an outside observer, watching as the world continued on around him; without him. But that wasn't quite right either. Neji reasoned that if the world were moving on without him, it would likely feel more like time was swiftly passing him by, but this in fact was the opposite; it felt more like the world was going at a snails pace, and as a result, everything seemed so much clearer to him than it otherwise would have.

Even with his byakugan deactivated, Neji could see Lee as he cowered on the floor, trembling as tears washed down his face. For a change, the spandex-wearing shinobi was not loudly proclaiming the 'unyouthfulness' of the situation as rivers of tears ran down his face; no, Lee was silently rocking himself back and forth as he shifted his eyes between the doors Neji was steadily watching, and Neji himself. Had he been feeling more himself, Neji would have scowled or glared venomously at the bowl-headed shinobi, but he didn't. He didn't even say anything when Lee implied to the pink haired kunoichi that Neji might have feeling for their female teammate; something which the Hyuga often steadfastly denied, because it simply wasn't the truth. As far as the two of them were concerned, Neji held that they were nothing more than sparring partners.

_Friends_. He corrected himself.

Yes, over the years, they had grown to be rather close, and Neji wouldn't deny that he trusted Tenten more than anyone else; after all, he had confided in her the Hyuga clan's more jealously guarded secret. Now, he cursed that very moment. He wished he had never told her about the byakugan's blind spot. Perhaps if he had never said anything, she wouldn't have rushed to his side; she wouldn't have thrown herself in front of his blind spot to prevent the onslaught of the weapon's barrage that had been aimed at _**him**_.

If she had never known of his weakness, she wouldn't have ended up in the hospital at this precise moment. Perhaps if he had never told her, they never would have bonded over such a trivial thing; she never would have given him her blind trust, and in turn, he never would have allowed himself to open up to her. If he had never told her, then perhaps he wouldn't feel as awful as he did at that present moment; or at any moment between the instant he saw her fall forward from the impact of the weapons that dug into her back and the present moment.

Neji tightened his jaw as he saw Lee once more fall back into a fit of tears. With every quiet whimper that echoed in his ears, Neji felt like a clamp was tightening inside his chest, and time seemed to grow slower still. He wasn't sure what it was he was feeling, but for the briefest of moments, he almost wished he could release his pain as easily as Lee was able to; uncaring of what others might say or think. But that just wasn't him; Hyuga Neji, DID NOT CRY!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
_**I will pray for you  
I will pray for you  
I will sell my soul for something pure and true  
Someone like you  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Sakura-san" Lee quietly called out, once he regained some of his composure. "How much longer will it be?" he asked.

"I'm not sure Lee." Sakura dolefully replied.

Just then, the double doors Neji had unyieldingly been staring at for the past few hours flung open, as the Hokage herself stepped through them. Neji didn't waste a moment, as he quickly made his way toward the Godaime's side, unflinching even at the pain that shot through his body with his every movement.

"How is she?" Gai asked before any of them could get a word out.

"She's not out of the woods yet." Tsunade informed the three men who has rushed toward her.

"What do you mean?" Gai asked.

"She was injured pretty severely." Tsunade sullenly began. "Unfortunately, a lot of her vital organs were hit, and she lost a substantial amount of blood." She paused, knowing the information she held was not going to be pleasant for any of them. "Her life is no longer in imminent peril…" She paused again, giving them a glimmer of false hope; not something she ordinarily did, but sometimes false hope was better than no hope at all. "We've done all that we can; the next few hours will be critical." She always hated having to give bad news, but it was best to prepare them for the worst, as it was more often than not, inevitable in the life of a shinobi. "I'm sorry." Tsunade whispered as she began walking back toward the operating room.

"When may we see her?" Neji finally broke his silence.

"…" Tsunade turned back to face the three shinobi. She was about to tell them that it was against hospital policy to allow non-family members to see a patient who was in as critical a condition as the weapon's mistress currently was, but then she remembered that there _**were**_ her only family. She could see the look of concern in each of these faces, but it was the pained expression in the Hyuga's eyes, to which the other's pain paled in comparison, that ultimately convinced the Hokage to allow the breach in hospital policy. Perhaps it might even help the kunoichi pull through those critical hours. "We're moving her into the ICU; as soon as she's settled in and stabilized, I'll send Sakura to let you know, but I'm afraid under the current conditions, only one of you will be allowed to see her at a time, and only for a few minutes each."

"That's more than enough time." Gai nodded; understanding that the Hokage was making a special exception for them.

Tsunade turned back, motioning for Sakura to follow her. Lee and Gai began walking back toward the bench in front of the operating room where they had been waiting earlier, to wait until Tsunade sent Sakura back out to tell them it was okay to go in and see Tenten. Neji remained where he was, a few feet from the doors, sitting himself down on the floor, as he crossed his legs, put his elbows on each knee, and placed his right hand up toward his face in a fist like manner as the left hand cupped the right, and then closed his eyes. From an outsider's perspective, it would seem as if the Hyuga were praying, though more likely than not, he was probably meditating.

"Thank you." Neji called out from his position on the floor, as the two medics began crossing the door's threshold. Tsunade briefly paused before continuing on through the doors. She understood exactly what the young prodigy was feeling; even if he had not yet realized it himself. For him, she prayed that Tenten would pull through.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
_**See your face every place that I walk in  
Hear your voice every time I am talking  
You will believe in me  
And I will never be ignored  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_Why?_ Neji asked himself again and again as sat uncomfortably on the cold, hard hospital floor, outside the operating room.

He just couldn't seem to grasp what was going on. It made no logical sense that Tenten would have jumped in front of the attack that had been aimed for him. Even as good of friends that they were, there was no reason anyone would knowingly throw their lives away. True, shinobi risked their lives for others constantly; but that was different. A shinobi's job required that they frequently place their lives in danger in order to accomplish their missions, or to protect their clients, or their village (which was the noblest of acts to Leaf Ninja). But, when a shinobi took on a mission or risked his life for the village, it was always intelligently done. No shinobi acted without first assessing the situation and analyzing the probability of survival. Few missions were ever recklessly taken, and those that were considered perilously dangerous as to amount to a suicide mission generally consisted of at least a one percent probability of survival; anything less would be rejected by the village. While it was an honor to die in the name of protecting the village, it was in no one's interest to risk the lives of the Leaf Shinobi so carelessly. For those reasons, it made no sense to Neji that Tenten would have seen such a high probability of death, and still risk her life for _**him**_.

_She was foolish_. Neji berated; angry that she had been so reckless.

That wasn't true though. He knew that his anger was being misdirected. If he were honest with himself, he would have had to admit that it was at himself that he was angry. If he had been more cautious, Tenten wouldn't have had to have made that irrational choice. _**He**_ was to blame for her current condition, even if she had been the one to have acted so needlessly rash.

_Reckless_. Neji scorned.

'_You would have done the same thing_.' A voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. (1)

Neji looked up to see Tenten standing before him. He turned toward Lee and Gai who were still sitting quietly on the bench a few feet away from him. They didn't seem to notice the girl impossibly standing before him.

_It's not really Tenten._ Neji told himself, though the image of the bun-haired kunoichi did not fade. _I must be hallucinated._ He reasoned.

It didn't see so out of the ordinary. After he had fought against Kidomaru of the sound four, Neji had seen an image of Tenten then too. He hadn't really known what to make of it at the time, as he looked up into the sky and watched the birds flying overhead, while he waited for the medics to arrive and rescue him. But upon thinking it further later on, Neji had reasoned it was probably due to the fact that, to him, Tenten, more than anyone, embodied what it meant to be free like a bird. The way she preformed her signature jutsu, Soshoryu, soaring freely in the air, almost as if she could fly, always sent a tinge of envy coursing through him; though it was always quickly forgotten when the kunoichi smiled down at him, silently thanking him for his assistance in helping her prefect her jutsu.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
_**I will burn for you  
Feel pain for you  
I will twist the knife and bleed my aching heart  
I'll tear it apart  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"You can see her now." Sakura informed the trio as she stepped back out into the hallway where all three men had been waiting for hours.

"Neji should go first." Gai suggested; keenly aware of the anguish the young prodigy had been putting himself through the entire time they had been waiting.

"Hn." Neji quickly got up from the floor and followed Sakura through the corridors as she led him to where they had taken Tenten. Lee and Gai followed closely behind.

"She's in here." Sakura motioned for him to enter. "Unfortunately you can only see her for about five minutes each. We don't want to overexert her." Neji nodded in understanding as he turned the knob to enter. "You should talk to her; it might help to have a familiar voice call out to her."

"Thank you." Neji replied, before entering the room, the door closing quietly behind him as he approached the small bed that was surrounded by machines.

He hesitantly walked toward the kunoichi who lay motionless on the bed. The buzzing of the machines seemed to be amplified by the stillness of the room. As he approached her, he noticed how pale her skin looked. It dug at his heart to see her in her current condition; especially knowing _**he**_ was the reason she was in that state.

"It should have been me." Neji regretfully stated.

It was the truth. _**He**_ should have been the one laying there in that bed; not her.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
_**I will lie for you  
I can steal for you  
I will crawl on hands and knees until you see  
You're just like me  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Why did you do it Tenten?" Neji asked the unconscious kunoichi.

He sat down on the chair that had been set up next to her bed.

"Why?" he asked again, taking her limp hand into his. It was colder than he remembered it usually being. Probably because of all the blood she had lost. As he'd carried her to the village, he had noticed the color draining from cheeks and the warmth of her skin leaving with it, but he never expected her touch to feel so icy; it just wasn't who she was.

"Why?" he whispered as he brought her hand up to his face, cupped between his two hands in an attempt to warm the slender hand. Pressing their hands to his mouth, he gingerly planted a kiss on it; though he was uncertain as to why he had done so afterwards.

'_You would have done the same thing._' The same ghostly voice called out to him again.

"Go away." Neji demanded, though there was no tone of command in his voice as he spoke; it was almost as if he were begging the vision to leave him.

As much as he wanted it to be true that Tenten was indeed standing behind him, as the hallucination currently was, he knew that he much more preferred truth to lies. That was one of the things he most admired about Tenten; no matter how harsh reality was, she never lied or pretended that everything was 'going to be okay'. She was truthful in all that she did and said.

'_Not until you admit it._' the hallucination warned.

"Admit what?" Neji asked.

As if he didn't already know. After all, this illusion was a creation of his own mind; of this, he was well aware. Her presence was not merely a result of the exhaustion his body felt; she was there for a reason. Just as when she had appeared to him after his battle with Kidomaru, to help him concentrate on survival, he was certain she was there now for a similar purpose.

'_Yes, but you're still lying to yourself_.' The fake Tenten said.

"I'm not lying to myself." Neji denied, though he knew, even as he spoke those words, that he was lying then too.

'_An omission is still a lie_.' The vision repeated a phrase Neji was all too familiar with. It was something Tenten had often told him to get him to say what was on his mind. It was a simple statement that carried nothing to it, but for some strange reason, Neji was always compelled to disclose to her exactly what it was that was bothering him at the moment; it as if he couldn't lie to her, though to himself he was more than able to.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
_**Violate all my love that I'm missing  
Throw away all the pain that I'm living  
You will believe in me  
And I can never be ignored  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"I love her." Neji finally admitted.

In an instant, the weight of the lie he had been carrying with him completely vanished; being simultaneously replaced with a violating intrusion in his heart, as he felt a immense pressure grip his very soul.

"What is this?" Neji asked the illusion.

'_No one ever said love was painless._' The vision stated, as she too griped the same spot on her chest that Neji tightly clasped, before vanishing into nothingness.

Of course he knew that was true. Upon his father's death, he had felt such enormous pain, that he had hardened his heart to avoid missing that which he had lost. Neji had locked away his heart in the deepest regions of his being, refusing to ever let anyone in. As a result, he had made himself invulnerable to pain; or so he had misled himself to believe. But that wasn't the case at all, the pain had always been there, he had merely ignored it, ignoring himself in the process. He had dedicated himself body and soul to becoming stronger; detaching himself from those around him. He had become an idol to many; most of whom believed he was a genius, in part, because he was able to master control over his emotions as well as his jutsu; eventually they had all grown to believe he had become incapable of feeling anything at all. But not Tenten; she had believed from the very beginning that he was not as cold as everyone else believed him to be. She has told him, that deep down, Neji was full of emotions ready to burst out. Neji had scoffed at the idea when she told him, but over time, without his even realizing it, he _**had**_ in fact learned to express himself more openly; at least with Tenten he had.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_  
_**I would die for you  
I would kill for you  
I will steal for you  
I'd do time for you  
I would wait for you  
I'd make room for you  
I'd sail ships for you  
To be close to you  
To be a part of you  
'Cause I believe in you  
I believe in you  
I would die for you  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Please Tenten." Neji begged the sleeping figure before him. "Please, just wake up." He brought her hand up to his face again, pressing his lips firmly on her cold flesh. "We're all waiting for you to wake up. Just come back to us. Come back to me." He pleaded. "I believe in you..."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**TBC…  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**(1)** No, that is NOT Neji's "INNER" voice… let me just say, I will not ever do an "INNER" story… I often write Neji thinking to himself (like I have many times in this story already), but I absolutely hate (with every fiber of my being) the whole "INNER" story-line (unless it's used specifically for comedic relief in an entirely Comedy-centered storyline). I feel it cheapens the quality of writing in a story to throw in some random voice speaking inside our head, supposedly acting as out inner Jiminy Cricket. (XP) The whole concept is ridiculous; and furthermore, Sakura's "INNER" isn't an independent voice in her head, it's her TRUE voice… the thoughts she'd never dare to say out loud, not some voice that appears out of nowhere, that confuses her and makes her question whether she's losing her sanity… but I digress… the point is, SOOOO not an INNER story…

**A/N**: Woohoo! Except for my little rant in the above footnote, I managed to keep this 'Post-THE END' stuff to a min… anywho, like I mentioned in the A/N at the top, this is only the 1st part of a 3-shot. **XD** Hope you all liked it.

**Remember to REVIEW, Please and Thank you. XD**

**PREVIOUS GAME:  
**From Left to right: Chouji, Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, Lee, Naruto, Kiba, Hinata and Shino  
BONUS points: Shika cursed because he forgot to buy Temari a gift for Valentines Day (FYI: _that_ story is writing in a different story on my profile, if anyone's interesting**XP**).

**NEW GAME:  
**(i) Easy, easy, easy. Who was Sakura thinking of? Sorry, was a bit too rushed to give you guy's a good (aka, nice and hard) game… lol… although there are a few allusions here and there (I know because as I was writing them in I kept thinking those would be good games)… sadly I negligently forgot to mark where they were and I'm feeling much too lazy to comb through the story and find them right now… but hey, if you spot them, props to you! **XD**


	35. My Last Breath

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Ok, didn't say it on the last one, but these three chapters, aside from being a change from my usual "happy ending" type stories… are also somewhat a departure from my usual writing style (which some of you may have noticed)… The idea was to try something new… experiment and hopefully grow in my writing…  
In the last chapter it was the descriptiveness that I was emphasizing… and, in THIS chapter, well… let's just say it's possibly the furthest thing from anything else I've written… so I'm not quite sure how it turned out… but I'll let you all be the judge of that (just…. be gentle… XP)

**WARNING**: I've warned you all in the pervious chapter, but I'm going to say it again… THIS WILL NOT END HAPPILY EVER AFTER… I'm sorry… I've been contemplating doing an "alternate" ending that is happy, but I don't think so… I do promise that it will end beautifully… just not happy…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

**GAME WINNERS**:_tenjichan_, _Shadeehue_, _Pinkberry Soda_,_AmethystDreamer_, _Ceridwen Inari_, _NejiIsawsome122_ (although, I'm much more of a NaruSaku rather than SasuSaku),_BleedingHeartHeiress-v2.0_ (I didn't forget! ..lol), _Midnight Memories_, _shining kitsune_, _Kunoichi-of the-Leaf_,_animefreakoO_, and _Nichi Nara_.

_**DEDICATION**_ – **LovingMyLife**! I know you don't like angst… so I'm sorry about the ending… **8'(**… I hope you like the story though, there's plenty of little bits of fluff throughout… hope that kind of makes up for the angst… once again, thanks for all your reviews. **XD**

**Song**: _**My Last Breath**_ by **Evanescence**.**  
**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**MY LAST BREATH  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Hey Neji." A soft voice called out to the prodigy as he sat against his favorite beech tree in mediation.

"Hn." Neji grunted in respond to the girl sitting next to him.

"Do you think angels exist?" she asked.

"No Tenten." Neji's eyes remained closed, but they both knew he was attentively listening.

"Why not?" Tenten asked.

"Hn." Neji grunted. He really didn't have an answer.

"You know, that's the problem with your byakugan." Neji opened one eye questioningly, staring at the kunoichi as she explained, "You can only believe what you see with your eyes."

"I see nothing wrong with that." Neji replied.

"But there's so much in this world that _**can't**_ be seen." Tenten asserted.

"Such as?" Neji questioned.

"Well…" she though for a moment. "Love." She stated, "Love cannot be seen, it can only be felt. Can you honestly tell me you don't believe in Love?"

Neji watched as the kunoichi smiled triumphantly. He would have argued that it was still perceivable through one of the senses, whereas angels and spirits where something that could not be, given that, by their very nature they were intangible. Yet, the peaceful happiness on her face convinced him to accept her answer. After all, she _**was**_ right; love could not be _**seen**_.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Hold on to me love  
You know I can't stay long  
All I wanted to say was  
I love you and I'm not afraid  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

A gentle knock on the door forced a weary Neji to awaken. He hadn't realized that he had fallen asleep holding Tenten's small hand to his face.

"Neji." Sakura's head poked through the slightly open door. "It's Lees turn now." She whispered.

Neji nodded slowly; looking down one last time at the girl laying before him, he grazed the side of her face with his right hand, as he moved a lock of hair off of the pale skin. He stood up, placing her hand beside her as he forced himself to walk toward the door.

He wanted to turn back one last time, but didn't dare look. He knew he would be unable to stand the sight of her hooked up to all those machines again. As a trembling Lee passed beside him, to get to the kunoichi's bedside, Neji noticed the look of terror that swept across the bowl-headed shinobi's face; confirming his decision to not turn back.

Gai stood patiently in the hall; it was unusual to see Konoha's Green Beast so serious. Neji moved to stand across from him, closing his eyes to avoid the questioning eyes of his sensei. Gai seemed to understand; though he wanted to know how Tenten was, he decided against asking.

"Gai-sensei." Lee's shaky voice obtained Neji's attention.

Opening his eyes, he saw Lee exit the room, as Gai entered to see Tenten. For a moment he wasn't sure what to make of Lee's quick reappearance, but upon looking at the clock hanging on the far wall down the hall, Neji realized what they had done.

Silently, he inwardly thanked both men; grateful to them for having relinquished their time with Tenten to him, allowing him nearly the full 15 minutes to be by her side.

"I'm afraid visiting time is over." Tsunade appeared beside them, just as Gai was stepping out of the room. "You should all go home and rest now. We'll debrief in the morning."

Gai and Lee turned toward one another; exchanging hesitant looks. Neji, on the other hand, had already made up his mind; there was no way he was leaving the hospital!

"Do I have to make it an order?" Tsunade firmly asked, staring straight at Neji. It was clear from her tone that she did not want to, but if she had to, she would.

Gai and Lee shook their heads solemnly; resigned to follow the directions of their Hokage.

"Make sure he gets home." She told Gai and Lee, referring to Neji. "Don't forget you **also** suffered injuries. You need your rest." She told the Hyuga.

Reluctantly, Neji followed as his teammates began walking down the hall. He was tempted to look back one more time, but decided against it when his teammates stopped to see if he were following.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Can you hear me?  
Can you feel me in your arms  
Holding my last breath?  
Safe inside myself  
Are all my thoughts of you  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

'_Neji_'

Neji stirred in his bed at the sound of his name.

'_Neji_' the whispering voice called out again.

Neji blinked several times, unsure of where exactly he currently found himself, he slowly opened his eyes to take in his present location. Everything looked fuzzy, but upon looking around his immediate surroundings, Neji was still able to recognize that he was laying face down on his bed. The normally neatly straightened piece of furniture he laid in was currently unmade and messy; it appeared as if he had not even bothered to take the trouble of unmaking it before he had lain down to sleep.

'_Neji._' The airy whisper called out to the prodigy once more.

Turning his sore body to see where the voice was coming from, Neji abruptly froze in surprise as he saw Tenten sitting peacefully on his window sill. The full moon's light cascading into the room from behind her, giving the dark room an eerie silver glow.

"Tenten?" Neji attempted to suppress a yawn as he looked at the kunoichi questioningly.

Tenten softly giggled at his failed attempt of concealing how tired he was. The sweet sound sent shivers down the prodigy's spin.

"What are you doing here?" he asked after a few moments.

'_I want to tell you something_.' Tenten offered as explanation.

"It's late." Neji replied, shaking his groggy head before dropping it back down on the pillow. He closed his eyes and pulled the pillow tighter in between his arms, lifting it higher up to better support his head.

'_It's Important_.' Tenten continued.

"Can't it wait until morning?" Neji yawned as his exhaustion pushed him deeper into the pillow.

'_I'm afraid_.' Tenten replied. '_It has to be tonight. You have to come with me_.'

Neji continued keeping his eyes shut, enjoying the feel of the warm bed and soft pillow wrapping themselves around his aching muscles. A part of his mind was telling him that it was not like Tenten to come to his room in the middle of the night and ask him to follow him somewhere; but his body didn't seem to want to listen, all it cared about was how tired and sore it felt.

'_Please Neji_.' Tenten's pleading voice roused something within the Hyuga.

Slowly moving his stiff body from his comfortable position on the bed, Neji turned to face the bun-haired kunoichi.

"Hn." Neji lifted himself off the bed and moved toward the window.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Sweet rapture and life,  
It ends here tonight.  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Where are you taking me?" Neji asked the weapons mistress as he followed behind her.

His body still ached, and he was feeling a bit lightheaded as they swiftly leapt through the trees. Even with the grogginess in his head, and the blurredness of his eyes, Neji could see they were headed in the direction of the training fields.

It seemed too early to be going to training; though he seriously doubted he would be able to get much training done, given the state of his body, even if it had been some later hour.

"Tenten?" Neji said her name questioningly; letting her know that he was still expecting an answer.

'_You'll see_.' Tenten replied, as she gracefully soared through the air.

Neji continued following her; despite his pain, he wasn't the type to complain, and he certainly wouldn't admit to feeling weak, especially when it appeared that Tenten was not having any trouble at all. Normally, when Neji felt sore, Tenten would usually be feeling worst than him. However, this didn't appear to be the case at all this time; then again, Neji had never felt as horrible as he did at that moment. Still, it seemed unusual that his sparring partner would not be feeling the same thing, given that they were almost always together, so whenever one felt overexerted, so did the other. Yet, as he continued to follow the kunoichi to wherever she was leading him, he realized she seemed to be completely fine. Not only did it appear that she wasn't in the same pain as him, but she almost seemed to be gliding through the air as she jumped form tree to tree.

'_Here_.' Tenten stopped in front of large tree.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
I'll miss the winter  
A world of fragile things  
Look for me in the white forest  
Hiding in a hollow tree (come find me)  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The eerie gray moonlight that had shone into his room through the open window seemed to completely envelope the entire forest. Neji wasn't quite sure what time of night it was, but he was certain he had never seen the night look so dark, and yet so bright at the same time. It was almost as if everything had a wintery-white glow to its appearance. Neji contemplated that this was similar to what a forest looked like when one was dreaming. For a moment he wondered if perhaps he were still sleeping, but quickly discarded the notion; he was certain there was no way one could feel such vivid pain within a dream.

"Why have you brought me here Tenten?" Neji turned back to face the kunoichi who had motioned for him to step up to the tree.

Upon turning away from the tree, Neji found nothing by empty space behind him. His eyes quickly darted across the clearing to see if he could spot where the kunoichi had taken off to. Growing slightly irritated at the unusual behavior of his generally normal teammate, Neji turned back toward the tree, wondering why she had decided to bring him to that spot in the first place.

As he examined the tree and the surrounding area a bit more, Neji finally realized that Tenten had brought him toward their training field. He questioned how it was that he hadn't realized this before hand, but rationalized it was no doubt due to fatigue.

Too tired to even get mad, Neji began turning his back to sit down and wait for her to show up again, when something in the shadows suddenly caught his attention. It was a carving in the wood, no more than three inches tall and five inches wide, and just a little over five and half feet off the ground. Neji moved closer toward the carving in the beech tree's smooth surface. Even in the darkness, with his blurred vision, Neji could still make out that it was a small heart surrounding a pair of initials.

Tracing the small wound in the tree with his finger, Neji turned back to see if Tenten were back, before taking a seat at the base of the tree and closing his tired eyes.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
I know you hear me,  
I can taste it in your tears.  
Holding my last breath  
Safe inside myself  
Are all my thoughts of you.  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

A chilling breeze blew up against Neji's face. The prickling sensation of the cold roused the byakugan user to open his eyes. Blinking himself awake once again, Neji was pleased to see Tenten in front of him; the wind gently blowing her loose hair.

"You left." Neji stated, though there was no accusation in his voice.

'_Not yet_.' Tenten somberly replied, before looking up into the dark night's sky.

"What do you mean?" Neji furrowed his brow at her comment.

'_It's beautiful this time of night, isn't it_?' Tenten closed her eyes serenely, outstretching her arms, before slowly turning in circles.

Neji became transfixed, as he stared tenderly at the spinning girl before him. The cold breeze blew her released hair gently as she leisurely rotated her body. Seeing Tenten in that present form, Neji decided there was something ethereal about the way she looked at that moment; like an angel from the heavens.

He smirked at his childish musings. Though he would admit to himself that the kunoichi did indeed look lovely, it was probably just his eyes readjusting to the darkness, which made the girl appear so unearthly.

Moving his hands up to rub the sleep from his eyes, Neji froze. Right hand touching his face, he quickly moved it back in front of his eyes. Looking down at the moisture on his hand; for the first time, Neji acknowledged the tears that had been blurring his vision.

Looking up once more to face the spinning image of his teammate, he discovered she had disappeared, yet again.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Sweet rapture and life,  
It ends here tonight.  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Whipping the tears from his face, Neji stood back up and scanned the clearing for the disappearing kunoichi. Again, his eyes landed on the small heart scarring the old beech tree he had been laying up against.

_**-:-:-:-**_**FLASHBACK**_**-:-:-:-**_

"What are you doing Tenten?" Neji looked down at the fourteen year old kunoichi, kunai in hand, crouching down in front of the beech tree they usually rested against after each sparring match.

"Carving my name into the tree." Tenten nonchalantly stated as she etched out a small T into the smooth wood.

"Why?" Neji inquired.

"To leave something behind." Tenten replied.

"…" Neji stared at her a moment; eyebrow raised questioningly.

"Come on Neji," Tenten turned to the Hyuga, noting his confusion even from behind her. "Don't you want to be remembered?" she looked at him expectantly.

"Remembered?" Neji repeated.

"Yeah, you know, leave something for someone to find someday and maybe think of you." Tenten explained.

Neji stood silent, thinking over what the kunoichi had said. "The tree will grow." Neji observed.

"Yes, I know." Tenten nodded, looking up at the Hyuga from her crouching position.

"In time, your name will reach far too high for anyone to see." Neji informed her.

"Why do you think I'm writing it down here?" Tenten responded, motioning to the spot near the base of the tree, where she was carving out her name. "Beech trees grow slowly; in about ten years, it should grow about eight feet. But between now and then, I'll still be able to see it." she explained.

"Hn." Neji sighed, still unsure of the reasoning behind wanting to carve ones name into a tree.

"You want me to write your name in too?" Tenten asked.

"You can do as you like." Neji shrugged, before moving toward the center of the clearing to wait for the start of their spar.

_**-:-:-:-**_**END FLASHBACK**_**-:-:-:-**_

Neji had seen the carving many times over the past seven years since she had engraved it in the tree's bark. He hadn't really thought much of it, since at the beginning it had been 'TEN', which he figured she had given up on finishing. He had noticed the heart placed around the three letters later on, though he was unsure as to when exactly that had happened. By then, it had been so familiar to him, that Neji scarcely took the time to look at it for more than the briefest of moments.

Tracing his finger along the lines of each letter, he realized there was something unusual about the E. All the letters were capitalized and in print, but for some reason the E seemed to look as if it were written in cursive. What's more, there was a vertical line superimposed on the E. Tracing his finger over the heart, it dawned on him that that_**wasn't**_ an E at all; it was an open ampersand! Which meant that the contents of the heart were not 'TEN' as he had always suspected; but, 'T&N'… T and N… Tenten and Neji!**(1)**

**(i)**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Closing your eyes to disappear  
You pray your dreams will leave you here,  
But still you wake and know the truth  
No one's there.  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

She loved him!

Tenten loved him.

_**Him**_!

Neji.

Tenten loved Neji.

Tenten was in love with Neji.

The mere thought that the kunoichi was in love with him sent a warm wave of happiness coursing through the Hyuga, that for a moment, he completely forgot about the soreness of his limbs.

A soft smile swept across Neji's face, as he blissfully closed his eyes, savoring the knowledge that the woman he loved; loved him back.

Determined to find the kunoichi in question, to tell her exactly how it was he felt about her, Neji turned back toward the clearing to go in search of her.

It was then that reality hit him. He could see her standing across the clearing; her dark hair gently cascading down her shoulders, emphasizing the whiteness of her clothes; but he knew… That _**wasn't**_ Tenten.

It all made sense now. The pain, the ethereal glow, the dreamlike state, the unusual disappearances; this wasn't his Tenten. It was the other one; the illusion. The hallucination his mind had created to help him realize how he had felt all along. The one that sent him soaring, and then snapped his wings in half; that sent his heart racing to new heights, then ripped it from his chest. The dream that had turned into a nightmare, as he realized the truth of it all; there was no one there.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__**Say goodnight, don't be afraid  
Calling me, holding me, as you fade to black.  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

It was all just an illusion. His Tenten lay in a dark, cold room; on an uncomfortable hospital bed, hooked up to numerous machines; slowly growing colder.

_Alone_. Neji mournfully thought.

_No_. Forgetting all about his own pain, Neji sped off into the black night; afraid of what may come, but determined that, no matter what… she would NOT be alone.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
(Say goodnight) Holding my last breath  
(Don't be afraid) Safe inside myself  
(Holding me) Are my thoughts of you  
Sweet rapture and life,  
It ends here tonight.  
**__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Tenten." Neji breathed heavily, as he reached out to the door that led to her room.

He knew that visiting hours were over, and that the Hokage would not be happy to know that he had disobeyed her, but he didn't care; if he were punished on account of this, he would gladly take whatever consequences resulted.

Yet, even as he stood there, determined to accept any penalties that may result from his defiance, Neji found himself unable to turn the doorknob he held in his hand. As much as Neji wanted to be by her side, he didn't want to see her. He didn't want to see the condition she was in; didn't want to verify his aching dread.

Releasing the handle, he turned back toward the hall, ready to leave.

But he didn't.

In front of him, standing in the empty hall, was the illusion that insisted on haunting him. At last, He knew what it meant.

_An imperfect truth is better than a perfect lie. _

Turning back, Neji opened the door to Tenten's room. Cautiously approaching the side of her bed, he saw the angelic face of his love. The pinkness of her skin, which he had been accustomed to seeing, had been replaced by a sickly grayness; yet she still retained that serene aura that had always captivated Neji, and made her beautiful in his eyes.

Stepped toward the sleeping kunoichi, Neji gently lifted the girl up, so that he could lay at her side, and take her in his arms. Wrapping himself around her, Neji took Tenten's left hand in his right, as he laid her head upon his chest; his chin touching her head. He could feel her shallow breathing growing more and more prolonged between each breath; her chest barely rising and falling with each breath.

He deeply inhaled her scent. "I love you Tenten." Neji leaned down and kissed the top of her head as he squeezed her hand in his. For an instance, he thought he felt her squeeze back, before releasing her last breath…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**TBC…  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**(1)** Oh, and I was so hoping to make it through the story without a footnote… oh well… okay, so FF is sometimes funny with me and takes out certain characters out of my stories, so if it shows up as just 'TN', obviously the ampersand is missing… oh yeah, and if it's not clear from my description, an ampersand, is an AND sign… you all know which one that is… it's right above the 7 on your computer keyboard… lol… also, I realize, JAPANESE… therefore they use kanji, but… the story wouldn't work unless it was English… and this authoress uses English!... lol.. Well Spanish too, but presently this is English! XP

**A/N**: So what'd you think? How was my death scene? I think it might be the first one I've ever done… **REVIEW** and let me know what you think…**Please and thank you**.

**PREVIOUS GAME**: Sasuke… yes… it was Mr. Chicken-butt hair himself!

**NEW GAME**: **(i)** Also an easy one… well, there's some math involved… how old are Neji and Tenten in this story? The '**i**' is set where the necessary info ends… it's mostly in the flashback and the small section after… good luck!


	36. Fade to Black & Cry

**WARNING****: VERY VERY VERY SAD ENDING… **

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Sorry for the wait… but… midterms… and then the whole post-exam brain melt XP… but here it is at last!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

**GAME WINNERS**: DemonicAngel08,tenjichan,Apple Bubblegum,ChristinaAngel,Boredwithlifeandlove,Kunoichi Hyuuga Tenten,Midnight Memories,shining kitsune,Ceridwen Inari,BleedingHeartHeiress-v2.0,Sugar Highness,AmethystDreamer,Dat New Writa,Nightshadow Dweller,Kunoichi-of the-Leaf,Sarawinnie,animefreakoO, and a special nod to _a single waterlilly_ and_CaffineFreePepsi_ who where soooo close... just off by one.

_**DEDICATION**_ – **Ceridwen Inari**… umm… not quite the Kleenex moment was hoping it'd turn out… but it is a little sad. hope you like it… and thanks for all the reviews! XD

**SONG**:_**Fade to Black**_ by _**Metallica **_(main song, with a tiny snippet of Cry by James Blunt at the end).

**FINAL WARNING****: VERY VERY SAD, DO NOT BLAME ME FOR THIS ENDING, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! **(Just covering my bases people!)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**FADE TO BLACK & CRY  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The day had begun in darkness; the skies literally matching the gloom within the young Hyuga's soul. It was freezing out, and no one doubted that winter would surely bring rain to the village on that day. The ceremony had been typical; same as any other memorial service, for any other fallen shinobi. There was nothing different about it from any other funeral. Nothing special; except it was the last time Neji ever cried.

He could still remember the aching in his chest; the sense of confusion. He didn't know what would happen; he didn't understand _why_ it had happened. But on that day, he had been left completely alone; abandoned and lost in a world he barely knew.

It had been at that moment that _she_ had walked up to him. No more than four years old; the same age that Neji had been back then. The little girl with the twin buns had been at his father's funeral, like everyone else in the village, to pay her respects to a fallen shinobi. When everyone else had left, to escape the rain, _she_ had come up to stand beside Neji. He hadn't moved from his spot, watching as the four Hyuga branch members began filling in the hole where his father's body had been placed. The little girl with the Chinese top had come up to him and handed him a single white flower.

Neji remembered glaring at her angrily. Though she had not been smiling at the time, he could tell from her eyes she wasn't sad; not like him. She looked like she was a very happy little girl, and he had instantly hated her for it. He hated them all! It was at that moment that he had become the cold-hearted Hyuga he grew to be known as.

It wasn't until many years later, when he joined the academy, that he saw the bun-haired girl again. The resentment he felt for her happiness had quickly resurfaced, but he managed to control himself. For the most part, he just ignored her.

When they were teamed up together in their genin cell under Maito Gai, he had continued to ignore her; until, of course, he realized that he needed to train with someone, since Gai was too busy was Lee. Not that Neji had ever wanted to train with the elder green beast anyway; their training regime was too intense, even for him! So Neji had found himself forced to train with Tenten.

The first time they sparred, he had beaten her to within an inch of her life. All the resentment and hatred he had held for the happy-girl had come pouring out. He had expected her to hate him for it; or at the very least, lose the happiness from her sparkling eyes. But that hadn't been the case all. She had come back the next day, bruised and poorly bandaged, to spar with him again. She hadn't resented him; she hadn't even looked upset. And that happy look in her eyes hadn't faded.

Neji had wanted to resent her for it; to hate her for being so happy, when he was so miserable. But then Gai had ordered her home, telling her that she needed to rest and recuperate, and subsequently ordered Neji to tend to her, since he had been the one to inflict her wounds, his entire perception of the girl began to change.

When they arrived at her small apartment, she had offered to let him leave; that she didn't really need him to help her out. He ignored her, walking right in to get the bandages and properly tend to her wounds, so he could quickly get out of there. He had been astonished at how small the place was; there were only three rooms, including the bathroom. The larger room had only a small mat, a kitchen sink, a stove, a small refrigerator and a table and chair. He had wondered if she'd been robbed, but before he could think to ask, she had told him that though it wasn't much, it was her home. Neji later found out that Tenten was an orphan; both of her parent's had died when she was very young, leaving her to fend for herself.

All that time, Neji had believed she had what he didn't and that that was why Tenten was so happy; but he had been wrong. He realized that she was happy because she had chosen to be happy. He understood then, that the chrysanthemum flower she had handed him hadn't been some hallow symbol of sympathy; it had been a token of hope.

Somewhere along the way, that was exactly what Tenten had become for him… Though his teammate's called her the team's flower, to him… she was hope…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Life, it seems, will fade away  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji looked down from his vantage point on top of the hill. Below, he could see the memorial service for Tenten would soon be coming to an end. As always, the whole village showed up for the shinobi funeral. Even the Kazekage and his siblings had shown up. Not that it surprise Neji; Tenten and Temari had developed a strong friendship over the years, even since their battle during the first chunin exams.

Neji could see Lee wailing loudly on the floor as the assembled formed a line to place their tokens of sympathy on Tenten's coffin; Gai appeared to be having a hard time trying to comfort the bowl-headed shinobi. Everyone else seemed sympathetic to the two shinobi's grief; many of them, having similarly lost important people in the past.

Neji could see his cousin Hinata standing near the front as well. She and Tenten had become as close as sisters over the years; even Hanabi seemed to have taken a liking to the weapon's mistress, which was not a common thing. Neji could even see the clan head standing beside his two daughters, paying his respect to the fallen kunoichi.

Everyone had come. Everyone, that was, except Neji. He had left the Hospital late in the morning, after answering some questions, and filling out some papers. Tsunade had let him go after getting the basic information, telling him she would assign Shizune to fill out the rest. He had wandered through the village and into the forest aimlessly, until he had arrived at his team's training field.

Gai had been there, he had told him that the funeral services would be held the following morning. Neji could tell his sensei was devastated, but Gai kept a strong front in order to be there for his students. Gai had walked Neji to the compound that night, leaving him to the care of his uncle, whom Gai informed of the news.

The morning of Tenten's funeral, Neji had left the compound before anyone came to fetch him. Dressed in the same clothes he had been wearing when he last held Tenten, Neji had gone up to the mountain side that overlooked where the memorial service would be held.

Despite the intense rains that had befallen Konoha in the previous weeks, on that day there wasn't a cloud in the sky. For the first time in days, the morning was inappropriately sunny. The sky had cleared to a splendid light blue, as birds playfully soared overhead, thoroughly enjoying the beauty of the day.

It was insult; a mockery of all that was good and decent in the world. Neji couldn't understand how it was possible for there to be such perfect weather, on a day filled with such darkness.

Inwardly, a tiny voice told Neji that Tenten would have probably liked it that way. Though _he_ would have preferred the weather reflect the sorrow of the day, as it always seemed to do whenever the village gathered to pay tribute to a fallen shinobi, he knew that this exception wasn't because nature was ridiculing the passing of the village's cherished weapons mistress, but rather, a reflection of Tenten's very spirit.

As his contemplated the truth of his observation, he looked down at the open casket, where Tenten serenely lay, in her white kimono. Neji couldn't help but think that she had the appearance of a sleeping angel. He considered that perhaps the picturesque climate was Heaven's way of celebrating the return of one of it's own; taking her away from him.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Drifting further every day  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The days that followed Tenten's death, found Team Gai temporarily suspended from active dutys. Neji hadn't cared at first; he didn't really want to know about anything at the moment. Gai had also given the two younger shinobi a few days off from training. Neji had spent the majority of his time locked in his room. No one bothered to disturb the prodigy; allowing him to grieve in peace.

But the days went on, and Neji still remained locked in his room, removed from the rest of the world. His friends and family began to grow concerned that he was beginning to isolate himself. Maids brought him food, which at first he had refused, not even bothering to open the door and eat; but eventually he had grown too weak to reject the plates.

On the rare occasions that he did step out of his room to go to the bathroom, Neji would angrily yell at anyone who dared to cross his path. It was clear from the bags under his eyes that he had not been sleeping well; if at all.

"N-Neji-nii-san." A soft voice from behind his door called out to him.

"…" Neji glared at the door, willing his cousin Hinata to leave him alone; though he knew that would not likely work. He knew she'd have to leave eventually; she wasn't the type to nag him. So he decided to just lie down in his bed and wait until she was gone.

"Nii-san," Hinata timidly continued after a few minutes, "Everyone is worried about you. Could you please come out?" she begged.

"Leave me be, Hinata-sama." Neji monotonously replied from his position on the bed.

"Like hell we will!" a loud and obnoxious voice yelled from behind the door. "What do you think you're doing Neji? You've got everyone worried!" Naruto hollered, "You think you're the only one hurting? You didn't even have the decency to show up at Tenten-san's funeral!" he accused.

"Naruto!" a voice that, to Neji, sounded a lot like the pink haired kunoichi, scolded the blond loudmouth.

"What?" Naruto loudly whispered in response, "It's true isn't it? If he cared so much, why didn't he show up to pay his respects like the rest of us?"

"Shut up Naruto!" Shikamaru's lazy voice reprimanded the other shinobi.

"Yeah Naruto!" Ino's annoyed voice sounded from behind Neji's door, "Everyone mourns differently." **(i)**

"Will you all just GO.AWAY." Neji demanded from his side of the door, before pulling his head under a pillow to drown out their incessant voices.

Neji didn't care if other people were worried he was drifting away. He didn't care what anyone thought.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Getting lost within myself  
Nothing matters; no one else  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

As the days turned into weeks, Neji's friends came to see him on numerous occasions; pleading with him to come out of his room and rejoin the rest of the world. But he didn't budge. He was intent on remaining in his room, where he could lose himself within his solitude. Nothing mattered to him anymore. Not even his once unyielding pride had prevented him from showing such vulnerability, as he drowning himself in his agony. Whereas before he would have suppressed and hidden any sign of emotion, now it didn't seem to matter to him what anyone thought. Nothing mattered; no one did.

Eventually his friends stopped coming. They realized there was nothing thing they could do, but hope that he would come to his senses sooner or later…

"Hinata-chan." Hiashi addressed his daughter as he passed by Neji's room, where Hinata faithfully placed a fresh plate of food and knocked gently on the door.

"Y-yes father?" Hinata timidly approached her father, who had been standing at the other end of the hall.

"Is Neji-kun still refusing to leave his room?" Hiashi asked.

"Hai." Hinata nodded her head disappointedly.

"It has already been a number of weeks." Hiashi observed.

"Nii-san has taken Tenten-san's passing rather harshly." Hinata responded.

"I was not aware that his teammate had meant this much to him." Hiashi solemnly stated.

"I don't think he did either." Hinata half whispered; longingly staring at her cousin's bedroom door, painfully wishing there were something she or anyone else could do to ease him of his pain.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__** I have lost the will to live  
Simply nothing more to give  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"HYUGA!" Tsunade's demanding voice echoed through the Hyuga compound. "AS YOUR HOKAGE I AM ORDERING YOU TO GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF THERE!" she yelled.

"Tsunade-sama…" Shizune meekly pleaded, "Maybe this isn't the best way to go about doing this."

"Nonsense Shizune." Tsunade shook her head, "this is the only way to do this. He's been in there for over a month, it's time for him to get back to living in the real world."

"Tsunade-sama, try to understand, he just lost his closest friend." Shizune implored. "Have a little compassion."

"I know that!" Tsunade replied, "And I understand what he must be feeling." Tsunade thought back to the time when she _**too**_ had lost the person she most cared for. **(ii)** "But I also know it's not healthy to sit around feeling sorry for your self. He's going to have to learn to deal with this. He can't just give up."

Neji listened silently as the Hokage and her assistant carried on their conversation on the other side of his door. He realized the Godaime was right; he _**was**_ sitting around feeling sorry for himself. But he didn't care. What could he give to the world, when there was nothing left of him? What point was there to living if there was no reason, _**no one**_, to live for?

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
There is nothing more for me  
Need the end to set me free  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"N-N-Neji-nii-san!" Hinata so was surprised to see Neji out of his room that she dropped the platter of food she had been carrying to his room.

The old Neji would have caught the falling object before it hit the floor, but this Neji didn't even flinch; he merely stood there with a vacant look in his eyes as the tray came crashing to the floor.

"I will be meeting my team at our training grounds." Neji stated before walking off; leaving a shocked Hinata to pick up the mess on the floor.

She was glad to see that he was making some progress, at least now, it seemed, he was free from the confines of his bedroom. Hinata was happy for her cousin, but at the same time, the dead look in his eyes terrified the young kunoichi. She had never seen her cousin so emotionless. Even though Neji had always been known for his stoic personality, there had always been a glimmer of light in his eyes that betrayed the true emotions within. But not this time; this time his eyes were devoid of all substance, almost as if he wasn't even there.

"Oh Nii-san, can't you see there's still people here for you?" Hinata quietly lamented; saddened to see her cousin so broken inside.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__**Things not what they used to be  
Missing one, inside of me  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Neji-kun." Lee gasped upon seeing his teammate enter their training field.

"AH NEJI-KUN," Gai enthusiastically greeted, "We are very pleased you have decided to finally join us." He smiled at the young prodigy, giving him a thumbs-up.

Lee and Gai had come many times to see the Hyuga, but like all the others, even they had failed in luring him out of his isolation. Gai was grateful, whatever the reason, that Neji had finally decided to step out of his seclusion and attempt to move on with his life. He was certain Tenten would have wanted that.

"Why don't we take a few laps around the village as training today?" Gai suggested; thinking it was best to ease Neji back into their routine, without placing him in a position where he would be reminded of their fallen kunoichi. "Since Neji has been out of practice, I suggest we warm up with 50 laps." The older shinobi offered.

"YOSH!" Lee excitedly pumped his fists in the air. Though 50-laps, was half of their usual minimum, he was more than will to ease up his training to help his shattered comrade.

"Hn." Neji followed as the two men began running at a leisurely pace.

Neji knew they were running slower than they would have liked, for his benefit. Neji wasn't the type who liked to be pitied. If anyone did the pitying, it was going to be him; not that he ever wasted his time on such trivial matters. But he didn't care.

As they approached their twentieth lap, usually when Neji and Tenten would have begun to start feeling the strain on their muscles, Neji turned to his right to face the spot where the weapons mistresses normally ran beside him; but she wasn't there. For an instant, his heart stopped in his chest, and he realized… it wasn't the way that it was supposed to be.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Deathly lost, this can't be real  
Cannot stand this hell I feel  
Emptiness is filling me  
To the point of agony**_  
_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Lee and Gai now a far distance ahead of him, Neji decided he had had enough running. Coming to a complete stop after his twenty-first lap, Neji realized he had drifted off the path. As he scanned his surroundings, he realized he was a short jog from their training field. Without so much as realizing it, Neji's legs began moving him back toward that very spot where he and Tenten had spent countless days together.

Approaching the beech tree that the pair had spent endless evenings leaning up against, after each spar and mission, Neji turned his eyes to search for the small heart carving.

"Tenten…" Neji whispered as he traced the faded heart.

He still couldn't believe she was gone. The only woman he had ever loved; and she had been taken from him before he ever got the chance to show her how he felt.

_How could fate be so cruel_? Neji just couldn't understand; was he born to suffer? To live his live in perpetual torment?

How could anyone be cursed to endure such agony?

An overwhelming swelling in his chest caused his breathing to be labored, as Neji clenched his fist to his heart; pulling on the cotton fabric that fell over his aching chest. Life was unfair.

Falling to he knees out of sheer misery, Neji shut his eyes tightly; attempting to will the sorrow away. But the pain was too much for him to bear, and finally, after years of suppressing his pent up emotion, Neji openly wept against the beech tree.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**__**  
Growing darkness taking dawn  
I was me, but now he's gone  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"_Hey Neji." Neji felt a small finger poking his side, disrupting his nap on the soft grass. "Nejiiii."_

"_Hn." The prodigy grunted in response, refusing to move or even open his eyes; he was far too comfortable to get up._

"_Wake up, you're missing it!" the tiny voice whispered from beside him; blowing gently in his ear in the process._

"_Missing what?" Neji moaned._

"_Look!" Neji felt himself being pushed up, off of the ground._

"_It's a sunrise Tenten." Neji growled, having found no other option but to open his eyes and look at what the kunoichi had been telling him to see._

"_Yeah…" Tenten smiled brightly from beside him; her left arm still holding on to his back from when she pushed him up into his current seating position._

"_There will be another one tomorrow." Neji groaned, preparing himself to fall back to the comfortable floor._

"_How sure are you of that?" Tenten countered, looking down at the prodigy as he resumed his pervious position._

"_There always is." Neji yawned in response._

"_You don't know that." Tenten insisted._

"_Tenten." Neji was getting slightly annoyed by her thickness; he'd never considered her to be dense. "It's a fact that the sun always sets in the evenings, and rises at dawn." He nonetheless concluded his argument._

"_And does that make this one any less special?" she challenged._

"_As I have just said," Neji closed his eyes while he spoke, "it happens every day. There is nothing special about a sunrise."_

"_What if it's the last sunrise?" Tenten softly asked._

"_It's not." he firmly repeated._

"_No one can know that." she insisted._

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji felt drained. He wasn't sure exactly how long he had been crying, or when he had fallen asleep, but it was now dark out. It had been years since that mission he had just dreamt of.

A simple escort mission Neji and Tenten had been assigned to go on, on their own. Having made excellent time, they had decided to rest on their return. Neji remembered they had fallen asleep under the stars. It had been one of the happiest moments in his life. Not because anything special happened; it had just been peaceful. Perfect in it's simplicity.

He hadn't understood then exactly what Tenten had been saying, but now he did. He was glad that in the end, he had given in to her insistence and sat up to watch the sunrise with her. Though, he hadn't really watched the sun; he had found it much more enjoyable to discreetly watch Tenten watching the sunrise. She had looked so happy; turning to smile at him every few seconds to see if he was paying attention.

_There won't be another sunrise_. Neji though mournfully.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
No one but me can save myself,  
but it's too late  
No, I can't think, think  
why I should even try  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Why?" Neji took a seat in front of the stone cherub standing guard over Tenten's final resting place. "Why did you leave me?" he begged.

Silence.

For a moment, he almost wanted the illusion that had been haunting him since before Tenten's passing, to appear in front of him and give him the answer. But it didn't happen.

"It's all my fault." Neji sulked, too afraid to face the angel; he was sure he would see the same accusing eyes that had been plaguing his every sleepless night.

For a month, he had found it difficult to sleep, unable to shake the image of his departed love. Too many nights, he had been unable to find any peace; though he was certain he did not deserved it.

His friends had tried to help him. Tried to get to him see the truth; that it _**wasn't**_ his fault. But no matter what anyone tired to tell him, he couldn't believe it.

It _**was**_ his fault.

She had died protecting him; she had died _**because**_ of him.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**__**  
Yesterday seems as though it never existed  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"I'm sorry Tenten." Neji tired to hold back the tears, to no avail.

Neji wished there were something, anything at all, that he could do to go back to that day and do it all different; to erase the yesterday that never should have been…

_**-:-:-:-**_**FLASHBACK**_**-:-:-:-**_

"Tenten!" Neji exclaimed as the kunoichi fell forward into his arms.

Time seemed to stand still as Neji looked, wide-eyed, at the kunoichi he held her in his arms. All sound disappeared; the air grew stale and suffocating. For a moment, Neji's mind ceased to function, as he watched the crimson liquid freely flowing from the weapons mistress's wounds. He could smell the metallic scent of blood as the fluid poured out from his fallen friend.

It had seemed an eternity, watching the blood tainting her white shirt, before Neji found himself, byakugan activated, searching for the culprit. He had found the cowardly shinobi hidden a few meters away; having identified his location when the miserable rat had sent the second wave of weapon's at the pair.

It was impossible to tell what had happened next, as Neji's body went into a state of blind fury. Within a matter of seconds, Neji had used his Juken, forcefully inserting a small amount of his chakra into the shinobi's chakra circulatory system, causing the man to double over in pain. Continuing with his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, Neji successfully closed all the man's chakra points, before repeating his gentle fist technique to attack the enemy-nin's internal organs. On the outside, the shinobi had shown no visible signs of injury, but on inside, Neji had watched as each of his organ's had violently ruptured inside of him.

Before the man could even hit the ground, Neji had scooped Tenten up into his muscular arms, protectively holding her to his chest, and commenced running toward the village, completely forgetting about Lee and Gai.

_**-:-:-:-**_**END FLASHBACK**_**-:-:-:-**_

Though every muscle in Neji's body had screamed in protest for him to stop, he had ignored all pain; hoping against hope, that he would be able to make it in time to save Tenten's life.

But he had failed her.

_Failed_. Neji repeated the same word he had heard in his nightmares.

That was what he had done. He had failed her. He had _**let**_ her die. If he had not been so over confident in his abilities, he would have kept his byakugan activated, and he would have seen _**him**_; the man who had taken his hope away. Neji would have seen the coward who had attacked them from behind. He would have seen Tenten move to protect him. He would have seen the weapon's aimed at him….

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**  
I have seen peace. I have seen pain,  
Resting on the shoulders of your name.  
**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Tenten." Neji sorrowfully moaned as he lay limply on the grave marker where the stone angel stood watching over Tenten.

His breathing was labored, as he slowly began to calm down from his earlier crying; silently hiccupping every so often.

_**-:-:-:-**_**FLASHBACK**_**-:-:-:-**_

"They're going too fast again." Tenten panted from along side Neji.

"Hn." He didn't say anything, but she knew that he agreed. Gai and Lee always over did everything.

"At this rate, we'll lose them again." Tenten added.

"Hn." Neji slowed his pace to allow for Tenten to keep up with him.

"I guess it doesn't really matter." Tenten relaxed a bit, as the pair slowly began coming to a stop.

"…" Neji questioningly turned his eyes toward the kunoichi, as they came to a full stop so that they could both rest for a while.

"As long as I'm with you…" Tenten smiled, without finishing her thought; not that she needed to….

_**-:-:-:-**_**END FLASHBACK**_**-:-:-:-**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**  
I have seen birth. I have seen death.  
Lived to see a lover's final breath.  
**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

She had trusted him completely; and yet Neji had failed her.

She had always been there with him; _**for him**_. From the moment he first met her at her father's funeral, when he hated her, she had always been by his side; until the moment he had realized his love for her.

She had helped him overcome his demons; helped him become a better man. She had followed him faithfully, believing in him unconditionally. She had never judged him, never doubted; never left his side.

They had been through so much; grown together as both teammates and friends. Together they had seen many challenges, and faced many foes. They had seen the birth of a beautiful friendship, and the death of romance that never was to be. He had held her at her final moment, as her last breath escaped her lips.

She had been his truest friend; his most important person. Just looking into her eyes; those eyes that never lost their happy glow; he had known hope within his soul.

Hope that one day; he too, would know what it felt to have that kind of happiness inside his own eyes.

But that never came to be…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**  
Do you see my guilt? Should I feel fright?  
Is the fire of hesitation burning bright?  
**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

As Neji sat silently before Tenten's grave, unable to put to words all that he wished he could say to her, the night had begun to grow colder and darker. Neji welcomed the frigid weather, hoping that the cold would painfully sting his flesh and help him forget the agony he felt; forget the guilt that he felt inside his heart. But he knew that wasn't possible. Nothing could possibly erase the aching in his chest; prevent the flame that was slowly burning out, from fading from his soul.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**  
I have seen fear. I have seen faith…  
**-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

He knew what he had to do; knew there was only one way to rid himself of all his suffering.

Only one way.

And he was not afraid…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
Death greets me warm,  
now I will just say goodbye  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"As long as I'm with you…" Neji whispered, before sharply forcing a jolt of chakra straight to his heart.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**DON'T KILL ME!!!!**

**A/N:** I SORRY! '_authoress begs for forgiveness_'… It was always my intention to kill both Neji and Tenten in the end… kind of my 'Romeo and Juliet' type story… I _**had**_ been considering adding a scene where Neji and Tenten met up in heaven… but the ending here… just… worked. That line… I thought it a fitting end.

I gotta say, it took me FOREVER to find the perfect song for this chapter… I went through so many, and finally narrowed it down to three: _Metallica's_ Fade to Black, and Tears and Rain & Cry by _James Blunt_. Ultimate I chose to use the Metallica song because the lyrics and meaning behind the song worked best for the plot… but I did decide to include a few lines from Cry because I wasn't quite done with the story and needed a few more spacers (plus those lines worked really well).

Ummm… I'm not so sure how I feel about this chapter though. I mean, it did end how I wanted it to end, but I'm concerned it may have dragged on for too long… I wanted it to seem like he was going through this prolonged suffering that eventually just made it impossible for him to continue living without her… but I'm not so sure I actually was able to capture that… oh well…

Any suggestions, I might actually go back and change things to this one if someone has a good idea on how to improve it. Let me know.

BRIGHT SIDE -- Next shot will have to be happy again! Just to balance all this angst out! **XD**

**Review, please and thank you XD (and don't kill me!!!!)**

**OLD GAME:**

21!... yup… 7 plus 14 equals 21 (and they say law students suck at math… I can add! XP…)

**NEW GAME:**

(**i**) Ok, this one's simple if you keep up with the manga… what were Shika and Ino sort of alluding to here?

(**ii**) Super easy… how's Tsunade thinking of (keep in mind, she's reflecting on the similar feelings of the one she lost and Neji's feelings for losing Tenten).


	37. White Day

**Disclaimer:**I don't own Naruto  
**A/N**: A few days late, but I couldn't quite get through it (writers block… never fails!) anyway, here it is, hope you enjoy. Oh, and this one is sort of, PART 2 of chapter 33 (Mysterious Valentine).

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

**GAME WINNERS**: Apple Bubblegum, tenjichan, Nightshadow Dweller, Ceridwen Inari, Zida27, shining kitsune, sexyinumama, Midnight Memories, CaffineFreePepsi, AmethystDreamer, Shenhui, and Kunoichi-of the-Leaf.  
_**DEDICATION**_ – I would like to dedicate this chapter too all you wonderful people who read and enjoyed the 3shot angst story… I promised you HAPPY and here it is. **XD **enjoy!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**WHITE DAY  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

White day.

It was a creation of the confectionery industry, to add to an already long list of commercialized holidays with no actual significance to them.

Neji detested the day.

Not because he felt obligated to return the favor to the numerous fangirls who left him chocolates on Valentines Day; which he didn't. It was because every year, Tenten would also be among those who gave him chocolate, and every year he debated on whether or not to give her something in return on White Day. True, the other girls were annoyances whom he had absolutely no interest in (most of whom he had never even spoken to) and Tenten was his friend and teammate; but to give her any special consideration at all, might indicate that he harbored feelings for her. And while that was in fact the truth, it would tarnish his reputation if he were ever to admit it; though it was what he wanted most, to do.

The thing was, though, Neji did technically give her a gift, and a white gift, as was the custom; the only problem was that Tenten didn't know. Every Valentines day for the past 14 years, Neji had left a single white flower and note at her doorstep; 11 of them having been white roses he had grown in the Hyuga garden especially for the weapons mistress.

It really wasn't that he didn't want to tell her how he felt; in fact, every year, he had wanted to tell her it was he who left all those gifts, but every year he found his courage lacking and he ended up, yet again, resorting to leaving the gifts on her doorstep instead of handing then to her personally. He blamed it on his pride; his stoic reputation, and his fear of her rejection, prevented him from doing that which he most desired to do; to tell her he loved her.

That's right, LOVE. Neji was well aware that his emotions for the bun-haired kunoichi were not a result of hormones or some fleeting infatuation, but rather true, genuine feels of love.

"Earth to Neji!" Tenten waved her gloved hand in front of the Hyuga's face.

"Tenten." Neji grabbed hold of her hand, stopping it mid-wave.

"I know you hate when I do that," Tenten pulled her hand from the Hyuga's grasp, "But if you'd been paying attention, I wouldn't have had to."

"Hn." Neji brought his hand down, holding in the warmth of her flesh, as he tightened his hand into a fist.

Normally, Neji wasn't the shy type. If he had something to say, he would say it. If he had something to do, he'd do it. If he wanted something, he went for it. He was confident, self secured, unhesitant, unyielding, and most importantly, unafraid. But when it came to Tenten, he found himself completely incapable of maintaining his carefully cultivated image. True, to the rest of the world, they appeared to be nothing more than teammates, but to him, every time he was near her, he felt like a completely different man. His insides were at constant war; unsure whether he wanted to run away to stop his heart from beating so loud, or kiss her.

It infuriated him how cowardly he could be when it came to Tenten. He had been very close to telling her the pervious month; but when the Konoha 11 decided to get together the night before Valentines Day, his resolve had been diminished, and he had found himself unable to even face her. Out of shame for his own weakness, he hadn't even shown up to the gathering they had agreed to.

"What is it?" he stoically asked as he waiting for the kunoichi to explain why she had come to the compound on their day off from training.

"Oh, well I was here to invite you and Hinata to join the rest of us at lunch today." She smiled at the prodigy.

"Lunch?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, turns out Ino's team came back early yesterday from their mission, and since we haven't gotten together in a month, everyone decided we should meet up for lunch today." Tenten informed him.

"I will be sure to inform Hinata-sama." Neji replied.

"Ok." Tenten nodded. "But you better be sure to make it this time, you know I can only stand Sakura and Ino's gossiping for so long. I need someone else to talk to too."

"…" Neji did not verbally reply, but Tenten could see the smirk in his eyes as his right eyebrow rose in amusement.

"You may not talk," Tenten replied to his nonverbal response, "But that's still a better conversation than a lot of the other ones going around the table."

Neji smiled, thinking of how well the kunoichi could read him without his ever saying a single word.

"You better be there, if you know what's good for you Hyuga." She mockingly threatened, "Or I'll come down to the compound and drag you there by the hair." She added before waving goodbye and jogging off in the direction of Lee's house.

Neji's hand shot up to his hair, wondering whether she'd actually do it. It didn't matter though, this time he would definitely go.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Hey, you made it!" Tenten smiled, greeting the Hyuga just outside the restaurant their group always met at for their reunions.

"Hn." Neji smirked.

He wondered if she had been waiting for him to arrive. They had all agreed to arrive fifteen minutes ago, which was exactly how long Neji always lagged behind, in order to be among the last to arrive; he hated to be kept waiting.

"Come on." Tenten grabbed hold of his hand, "Everyone's already inside." She started walking into the restaurant, pulling Neji along with her.

"So this lady goes into this restaurant with her baby." Naruto enthusiastically entertained the group, "The doorman says 'That's the ugliest baby that I've ever seen!' then lets in her to the restaurant. The woman goes to the rear of the restaurant and sits down, fuming. She says to the waiter as he comes to take her order. 'The doorman just insulted me!'" Naruto paused to suppress the chuckles that always seemed to ruin every punch-line to the jokes he told. "The waiter says 'You go right up there and tell him off. Go ahead, I'll hold your monkey for you.'" Naruto burst into a fit of laughter at his own joke. A few chuckles and giggles were heard before everyone noticed Neji and Tenten had arrived

"Hey, why are you two holding hands?" Naruto asked Neji and Tenten, after he calmed himself down enough to speak.

Everyone immediately turned to face the two new arrivals, just in time to see both immediately release the other's hands; a knowing smile passing between a certain blond kunoichi and her pink haired best friend.

"Oi Neji." Ino shouted out, "So what'd you get Tenten for white day?" she asked, as the two took their seats next to Lee.

"…" Neji turned to glare at the blond kunoichi, silently threatening her to drop the matter.

"Don't tell me you didn't get her anything." Ino continued, ignoring the deadly glares coming from the Hyuga.

"Ino, White Day is a commercialized fabrication of candy companies," Tenten jumped in, both to protect her blond friend from the impending doom she seemed oblivious too, as well as defend Neji. "It's only designed to guilt men into buying women gifts. And it doesn't really mean anything if you give a gift out of obligation, and not because it came from the heart."

Neji inwardly smiled upon hearing the bun-haired kunoichi's response. It just further confirmed how compatible the two were, that she would feel the same way about White Day as he did.

"So then does that mean your secret Valentines' rose and poem are meaningless because they came on Valentines Day?" Sakura twisted Tenten's logic to continue with Ino's plan.

"That's different." A light blush painted the weapons mistress's cheeks.

"How so?" Ino persisted, "If it comes on Valentines wouldn't that mean it came out of some sense of obligation for the day, and not because it came from the heart?"

"B-but Ino-san." Hinata interjected, "Tenten-san doesn't known who her mystery Valentine is."

"So?" Ino asked.

"That means it can't be an obligation." Tenten continued Hinata's observation, "because obligation usually entail some sort of personal relation to the other person, where you feel indebted. Besides," she shook her head, "I didn't say that giving a gift on Valentines Day or White Day is bad, what I meant, was that it should be something that is comes from your desire to do it, as opposed to doing it just because it's what's expected." She tired to explain.

"But you expect that Valentines' day letter and rose now don't you?" Ino pressed.

"No." Tenten denied, "Ye- No. It's not the same thing."

"Oh?" Sakura questioned.

"Hey, here comes to food." Tenten turned everyone's attention to the waiters who were bringing their meal, successfully changing the subject.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"That was so not fun." Tenten leaned her head up against the old tree, as she sat down in front of it, closing her eyes in the process.

"Hn." Neji had to agree.

All hour long, Ino and Sakura had bombarded the pair with endless questions about whether or not they were dating. Despite Tenten's attempts to change the conversation, or Neji's deadly glares, the two kunoichi had been unrelenting. It wasn't until Tenten had thought to say that she had forgotten she had to take care of an errand, and that she needed Neji to help her carry something, did the two finally manage to escape.

"Remind me again why I like those two." Tenten opened her eyes to look up at Neji, who was standing directly in front of her.

"There is no reason that I can image." Neji bluntly stated.

Tenten smirked, "Be nice." She chuckled, "They're not all that bad. They just…"

Neji waited for her to continue, but knew that she couldn't.

"Okay, they're pretty bad." Tenten replied. "But they mean well."

That was just like Tenten, to always try and believe the best of others. It was one of the many reasons he liked her so much.

"They talk too much." Neji commented.

"Yeah." Tenten agreed. "And they don't know when to stop either."

"Hn." Neji slightly nodded in agreement.

"All that talk about White Day," she added, "I wonder if they even got anything."

"I am certain Lee got Haruno something." Neji pointed out.

"That's true; and Naruto too, probably." Tenten observed. "and I'm sure Chouji must have gotten Ino something. Shikamaru probably didn't though; not that I blame him, Temari would have a fit." She shuttered at the image.

"Hn." Neji smirked, remembering the last time Shikamaru had faced the wrath of the sand kunoichi.

"It's funny." Tenten giggled, "He's the one who said all women were troublesome, and yet he's the only one in our group who's got a girlfriend." She smiled at the irony.

Neji watched at the weapons mistress's smiling turned into laughter. It always sent a shiver down his spine when he heard her infectious laugh.

"Tell me about this valentine." Neji asked; abruptly putting an end to Tenten's laughter, much to his displeasure.

"What about it?" Tenten straightened, wondering what Neji could possibly want to know.

"You tell me." Neji asked, "Haruno and Yamanaka seem to believe there's some importance to this matter."

"It's just their overactive imagination." Tenten nervously replied, trying desperately to hide her discomfort with the subject matter.

"Does this topic make you uncomfortable?" Neji noticed her unease.

"Well." Tenten bit her lower lip anxiously, "it's just… we've never really talked about this sort of stuff before." She explained.

"Hn." Neji agreed, it was not a subject he would have been all too comfortable discussing, where it not for the fact that _**he**_ was aware that it was about **him** they were talking.

"But, we're friends right." Tenten continued, "We should feel free to talk about anything, right?" She paused, "I mean, I guess if you liked someone, I wouldn't mind hearing about it." she added.

"So you admit you have feelings for this man?" Neji asked.

"Huh?" Tenten gaped openly. "I- well, I…" she stumbled on her words, "I've never even met the guy." She replied after a short pause.

"But you would like to?" Neji pressed on.

"I suppose." Tenten bowed her head, looking at her hands, as she fidgeted with them in her lap. "Yeah, I guess. It would be nice to know who he is." She stated. "I mean, wouldn't you want to know?"

"Hn." Neji observed the kunoichi as she awkwardly busied her attention on anything but him.

"Probably not." Tenten seemingly answered herself, "I mean you probably get tons of letters from your adoring fangirls every day. I'm sure you wouldn't want to know half of them. Not that I blame you, I've had a few run ins with a couple of them… they're not all very nice girls. Some of them can be pretty vicious."

Neji inwardly laughed, he had often noticed that Tenten tended to ramble when she was feeling uncomfortable; it was amusing to see he could do that to her so easily. Still, he didn't want to make her feel too uncomfortable, so deciding to even out the atmosphere a little, he took a seat in front of her; this way he was no longer looming over her as they talked.

"I am not interested in any of those girls." Neji informed her, as he adjusted himself into a cross-legged position, putting his left elbow on his kneed to cup his face in that hand as he leaned in to watch her.

"Oh?" Tenten lifted her head to find herself looking eye to eye with the Hyuga. "Does that mean you've already got someone in mind? Or is it that Hyuga's don't get to chose?" she wondered aloud, "Does your clan still practice arranged marriages?"

"Yes." Neji replied, staring straight into the kunoichi's eyes.

"Yes?" Tenten repeated, "To which question?"

"All of them." Neji answered, maintaining his gaze.

"Oh." A sudden wave of sorrow swept over the kunoichi, upon hearing that not only was Neji betrothed to someone already, but he actually cared about that girl. "So what's she like?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

"Who?" Neji asked, without removing his eyes from the kunoichi.

"Your betrothed." Tenten clarified.

"I don't have one." Neji replied blankly.

"But you just said…" Tenten was confused, but at the same time slightly relieved to hear that.

"I said that Hyuga's do practice arranged marriages, and that we do not have a choice. However, my father died before he could arrange a marriage for me, therefore I have no betrothed." Neji explained.

"Oh." Tenten nodded in understanding, before realization hit her. "Wait. You also said you had someone in mind though."

"Did I?" Neji responded.

"Yeah," she asserted, "That was my first question."

"Hn." Neji grunted, verifying that he had.

"So what's she like?" Tenten asked again.

"Do you really wish to know?" Neji asked, watching the weapons mistress's reaction.

"Sure." Tenten nervously fidgeted, "that's what we're talking about right?"

"Hn." Neji nodded.

"So?" she pressed.

"She's a kunoichi." Neji began.

That was no big surprise. Tenten always knew he could never be interested in some weak civilian girl.

"She is strong; thoughtful; caring. Always there for others." Neji continued, "she has the most brilliant smile; infectious laughter that beguiles all the scenes." He spoke warmly.

"She sounds nice." Tenten whispered, trying not to allow the sorrow in her voice from manifesting.

"She is." Neji acknowledged.

"You sound like you really care for her." Tenten kept speaking, willing herself to continue the conversation, if only to not seem as if it bothered her; but inside she felt like she was slowly dying from the pain.

"I do." Neji replied, observing the hesitation in Tenten to continue the conversation, yet she persisted. He wondered whether or not she realized it was she whom he was referring to.

"She must be very happy to know someone like you cares so much for her." Tenten swallowed the knot in her throat.

"I'm afraid I have yet to express this to her in person." Neji confessed, realizing she had no yet realized the truth.

"You've never told her?" Tenten looked at him confused.

"Not exactly." Neji replied.

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked, "Why not?"

"I feel, I often find my valor lacking, whenever I attempt to profess to her how it is I feel." He informed her.

"Why?" Tenten looked at him confusedly. "What could you possibly be hesitant about?"

"I do not, as yet, know how it is she feels." Neji stated, "My own despairing hesitation prevents me from confessing that which I desire most to say, yet I retain trapped within my soul; all the while driving me to deeper agony." He hoped that she would understand.

"But…" Tenten shook her head slightly, in disbelief of what she was hearing Neji say. "What girl wouldn't want to be the object of such sentiment?" she mournfully looked into the prodigy's eyes. "I've never heard you sound like this before. Whoever she is, you need to tell her."

"I have; many times." Neji replied.

"But I thought you said…" Tenten shook her head again, confused as to what Neji meant.

"I have written every year, in fevered passion, professing my unyielding emotion." Neji continued, hoping she would connect his words to what he meant, "I have told her many, many times, in inked characters scribed on white parchment." It seemed to finally be working, as little by little Tenten's eyes began to widen, and a light of recognition shone behind her hazel eyes. "And though each day I force myself to play a role I've fallen prisoner to, I have grown tired of my own disheartening hesitation." Neji concluded.

"You shouldn't allow that to stop you." Tenten more warmly replied, "It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return, but it's more painful to love someone and never find the courage to let the person know how you feel." She smiled at the Hyuga, "Or allow her to tell you what it is she feels."

"And how does she feel?" Neji returned her smile, knowing that she had recognized the poetry in his words. (**i**)

"She's glad you didn't wait until next Valentines Day to find the courage to confess, that which you've more than eloquently expressed." Tenten answered with a subtle smile.

"Me too." He agreed, before leaning in to capture her lips with his.

"Best White Day gift ever." Tenten stated after the pair parted, but only momentarily before Neji once again cupped her face and brought his lips to hers.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: I so was planning on using the swing, the roses (note that there were 11, I was planning on making the 12th one, to complete the dozen, red)… but this is how this one worked out… I also intended to use Ino and Sakura more… but that didn't work out either… but I liked it… I liked their little scene… I will most likely than not do a 3rd installment to this one… but not for a while… and it'll mostly be Ino/Sakura centric… I just want to play with them and see how much trouble they can cause… **XP**

**Just a few extra notes**… I keep forgetting to mention I started some new stories… if you haven't already done so, check out the TENTEN BIRTHDAY FIC I wrote last week… also I did a SHIKATEM chapter which continued from chapter 33 of this fic… and I just started aMUSIC SHUFFLE CHALLENGE story, first chapter staring NEJITEN (of course). I will (hopefully) be updating all of my (6) in-progress stories during this spring break… So anyway, check them out if you like, and let me know what you all think! **Thanks. XD**

Oh, and I've got new FANART on my profile too… **XD**

And also, for the last two chapters, in the REVIEWS, I posted my analysis of those chapters, in case anyone's interested.

**PREVIOUS GAME**:  
(i) I'm not going to say because I don't want to ruin it for the non-manga readers… but it had to do with Shika not going to a certain someone's funeral… like Neji didn't go to Tenten's… I was also accepting "smoking" as a correct answer… I hadn't thought of it, but it does fit there too…  
(ii) Dan. Not the brother. I knew a lot of people would guess both Nawaki and Dan, and that's why I specified that it had to do with the same feelings that Neji had (i.e. romantic love as opposed to family love), but it's okay if you guessed both… I think the wording may not have been too clear.  
COOKIES TO ALL OF YOU WHO GOT THEM RIGHT!!!

**NEW GAME**:  
(**i**) That line was totally for me… but I decided to make that the game… Can you guess what it means?

Sorry, this one might be a little harder than the pervious ones, but it's actually pretty simple if you think about it… I'll give you all 2 hints.  
_1st hint_: think of the chapter that this is the second part to; and more specifically, what stood out about that chapter;  
_2nd hint_: a lot of you will be asking yourselves "how'd she know?"… well that's the answer to this game…  
_**good luck**_!

**Remember to REVIEW… please and thank you. XD**


	38. Spring Time Picnic of Youth

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Sorry, kind of got a little "involved" in a new fic I started recently (among others… I think I have like 3 new ones now)… anywho… I'm back, this one is and always will be my Number 1 Priority! My apologies that it's a few days late for Spring, but, it's still spring… **XD**

Not sure when I'll be updating again… spring break ends soon, and I kind of want to work on **W&D**, it's been far too long since I've updated the Ryoku/Xiu-Juan story… And I still have to get Neji and Tenten married!... lol… Hopefully I can get something up on that story before spring break ends… we'll see…  
**WARNING**: It's kind of light on the fluff this time, but it's there…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

**GAME WINNERS**: _sexyinumama_, _AmethystDreamer_, _Shenhui_, _tenjichan_, and _Apple Bubblegum_. CONGRATS!

_**DEDICATION**_ - **Morning's Child** thanks for all the reviews. **XD  
**

Wow.. looks like I'm finally going to start doing a second round of dedications…just one more of my first time deds, then I'm going back to those I've already given dedications to… and because they're the people who constantly review, and I'm so very, very grateful, I'm going to try to make my shots EVEN BETTER!!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**SPRING TIME PICNIC OF YOUTH  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**___

"Spring. Time. Picnic. Of. Youth. ?" Tenten repeated after her sensei.

"That is correct, oh precious flower of our team." Gai beamed, before jumping into one of his many 'good-guy' poses. "Today, the 21st of March, is the first day of spring, and we shall celebrate it with a picnic!" he emphasized by showing them the oversized picnic basket he had been, unsuccessfully, hiding behind his back.

"O…k…" Learning from many years of experience, Tenten knew it was best to just nod and smile during situations such as this. "Should we tell them that the first day of Spring, was actually the 20th this year?" Tenten whispered to the silent boy next to her.

"Hn." Neji shook his head, "No, if they can't understand leap year, we shouldn't have to explain it to them."

"And to make our springtime celebration even more youthful," Gai continued, not having heard Neji and Tenten's whispers. "My eternal rival's team shall also be joining us today!"

"That is wonderful news, Gai-sensei!" Lee cheerfully replied; admiration painted across his face.

"Lee!" Gai sensei responded in vigor at his favorite student's gusto.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee began.

"oh.no." Tenten groaned under her breath, knowing what came next.

"Let's go Tenten." Neji grabbed hold of the kunoichi's hand and began leading her away from the 'youthful' love-fest, before the waterfalls and sunsets began.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**___

"I thought that'd outgrown that." Tenten commented, as the two saner members of team Gai began walking toward the grassy location where their team always held these impromptu picnics.

"Hn." Neji continued moving toward the hillside, choosing to ignore the two lunatics they left behind.

"Well, at least I can catch up with Sakura-san." Tenten stated. "We really haven't had a chance to see her since her team returned from that mission to the Tenchi Bridge." (**i**)

"Hn." Neji smirked at her comment.

"What?" Tenten asked, wondering what he had found interesting about her statement.

"You always seem to find the good in everything don't you?" Neji explained, knowing she had asked because she noticed his smirk.

Even though Neji was walking a little in front of her, he was well aware that his female teammate did not need to see his face to know that he had just smiled. Somehow, she could so easily read him off just his body language.

"And what's wrong with that?" Tenten demanded, though not in a harsh tone.

"Nothing." Neji replied, smiling at her mini outburst. He loved that she never shied away from an insult; though he hadn't actually meant it as such.

"Good." She nodded with approval. "I just don't see any reason to dwell on the negative." She explained herself, though she knew she really didn't have to with him.

"I am aware of that." Neji replied, knowing full well that that was her attitude about most things.

"Well, there really isn't." Tenten continued, "If we constantly looked at only the negative things in life, we'd never get to appreciate the wonderful things that life has to offer us as well."

"…" Neji shook his head slightly; agreeing with her, though not vocalizing that sentiment.

"I mean, think about it." Tenten began, "If I were a negative person, then when we were first assigned to Team Gai, I would have been very upset that I got placed with such an insane sensei. I would have cursed the heavens, believing I had been dealt a horrible hand, at having been stuck in such a bizarre team."

Neji nearly laughed at her reasoning, remembering his own reaction at that time. In fact, that had been exactly how Neji had felt when _he_ had been told of who his teammates and sensei would be. It had irritated him that he had worked so hard to be the best, only to be placed in a team with the worst; and to top it off, Gai has seriously freaked him out with his peculiar personality. It had been one of the lowest days of his life; believing fate had decided to be even crueler to him than it already was.

"If I thought like that," Tenten continued. "I never would have been able to realize what a great team we really are. Sure, Gai-sensei's a big odd… and Lee's a little… special… But they're both incredibly sweet and sincere." Her tone softened at that last sentence.

That didn't surprise Neji, of course; he knew how much she loved them all. Having never had her own family, team Gai had been the closest thing to one for her.

"They're hard workers." Tenten continued, "They always put their whole heart into everything, and even though we sometimes get on one another's nerves, they're always there to support us." She paused to smile. "If I had focused on the negative, I never would have been able to learn this; and that mistake would have been to my loss." She concluded.

"Hn." Neji could see her point.

It was true, in the beginning, he had separated himself from the rest of the group; believing he was much better than they were. Eventually, when it became evident that team work was required in order to assure success on missions, he had slowly begun to interact with them.

Over the years, they had all grown to be immensely close. Unlike Tenten, who had never had a family, Neji had always been surrounded by his. Still, after the loss of his father, he had never allowed anyone else to get close to him. He could see the truth in Tenten's words; had he continued to keep his distance, he would never have known what it was to be part of a real family again. Because that's what they were; as loud and insane as they were, team Gai was his family.

"And me?" Neji asked, having noticed the kunoichi had not mention his part in the whole argument."

"Oh look!" Tenten exclaimed, ignoring the Hyuga's question, "We're here."

Team Kakashi, minus their leader, had already arrived at the picnic location. It rather surprised Neji to see them there without Kakashi, but he realized that only meant that Gai and his 'rival' had probably arranged this picnic some time back, and Gai had simply forgotten to tell his students until the last minute.

"Figures." Neji muttered under his breath.

"That's Gai-sensei for you." Tenten laughed, "He's just horrible at remembering things." She added, as if having been thinking the exact same thing Neji had. "Come on." She pulled him toward the group.

"Hi Sakura, hi Naruto," Tenten waved with her free hand as the pair approached the large blanket already set up for their picnic. "Who are you're friends?" she inquired about the two shinobi she had never before seen, also sitting on the blanket.

"Hi Tenten; Neji." Sakura greeted the two. "These are Sai-kun and Yamato-sensei." She introduced the two new faces.

"Nice to meet you." Tenten replied to both men, with Neji merely nodding his acknowledgement of the two.

"Likewise." Yamato replied.

"Yes, it is nice to meet you too." Sai smiled.

There was something about this new comer that had Neji feeling a bit uneasy. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but the boy seemed rather odd. His face betrayed no emotion; a fact that would normally have impressed the stoic Hyuga, who was equally known for his icy façade, though even Neji couldn't pull off the degree of coldness in this boys face. For the prodigy, it was a matter of hiding his emotions, whereas for Sai, it seemed almost as if he had none. That fact, rather unsettled the Hyuga. Still, he decided to take Tenten's approach to things, and try to see the best in this situation. Though he felt that Sai was someone of insincere character, if Naruto was friends with him, Neji reasoned he couldn't be all bad.

"So which one of you is the man in the relationship?" Sai bluntly asked after a moment's pause. (**1**)

"SAI!" Naruto and Sakura yelled at their new teammate, leaping to cover the midriff wearing boy's mouth before he could say anything further.

Had Neji been any one else, he would have beating the crap at the younger shinobi, regardless of what he had just decided to believe. But he was Neji; Hyuga Neji; thus it was not in his nature to allow emotions to so easily move him.

"Huh?" Tenten would have yelled out like Sakura and Naruto, but her mind was still trying to wrap itself around who this guy was; his comment was weird, even by Team Gai standards.

"I assume from your hands, you are in a relationship together." Sai explained, much to the dismay of his two teammates that he continued to speak. "Was I mistaken?"

For the first time realizing Neji had not released her hand since he had grabbed it to walk away from Lee and Gai, Tenten quickly let go; timidly moving a few steps away from Neji.

"Yes." Tenten replied, trying to hide her blush.

As if forgetting for a moment, the insult that Sai had just directed at him, Neji inwardly smirked at the bun-haired kunoichi's response. He found it rather endearing that she still shied away from such questions, even though they had been asked that very thing on many occasions. At first, it had surprised Neji; having not realized how it might appear to an outside observer that he and Tenten spent so much time together. But after a while he got used to it; almost expected it. In time, he even grew to wonder if perhaps they saw something that he and Tenten had not yet realized themselves.

"In any case, why did you…" Tenten began, but paused as if she realized the answer to her question already.

Turning toward Neji, "Umm, maybe we should go see where Lee and Gai-sensei are." Tenten suggested, attempting to change the subject, before he too became aware of the underlying assumption in Sai's question. (**1**)

"That will not be necessary, oh Youthful Flower!" Gai and Lee landed on either side of Neji.

"Took you long enough." Neji grunted.

"What?" Gai turned back and forth frantically.

"What is it Gai-sensei?" Lee asked in concern.

"Has my eternal rival not yet arrived?" Gai asked with great alarm.

"Yo." The aforementioned 'rival' appeared from behind them.

"You're late!" Naruto, Sakura, and Gai shouted in response.

"Am I?" Kakashi asked innocently, "Or is everyone else just _really_ early?" he suggested with a serious tone. (**2**)

_Chirp_. An awed silence fell upon the group as they stood astonished at Kakashi's failed attempt at turning his usual philosophical excuse for being late into more of a joke.

"In any case," Kakashi broke the silence, "I'm not the only one who's late." He reasoned, turning toward Gai. "You do realize Spring began yesterday right?"

"WHAT?!" Gai shouted brokenheartedly. "NOOOOO!!"

"Tenten." Neji whispered, before taking hold of the kunoichi's hand once more and leading them away from their sobbing sensei.

"Now where are we going Neji?" Tenten asked in a hushed tone, as the two teammates walked back down the hillside.

"Picnic basket." Neji replied, as if that were the only necessary explanation.

"Oh…" Tenten giggled softly, "Well, that's Gai-sensei for you." She smiled cheerfully.

Tightening the hold on her hand, Neji smiled back, as they made their way back to the training field, where their sensei had forgotten the picnic basket.

Despite the day starting out with cancelled training, and then meeting such a strange and rude guy, it really hadn't turned out to be as bad as Neji had thought it would be. He would certainly be mindful from then on to follow Tenten's approach to life. It truly was far better to focus on the positive aspects of life; after all, how could he complain about a day where he got to hold his crush's hand for so long?

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**___

(**1**) Yes… I realize, I put the (1) in twice, but it's because the explanation applies to both… I would have used this as the game, but I figured I'd just explain it since some people will not get it, and a lot of people don't do the games, and I didn't feel like making them all wait until the next update to find out… so basically, Sai thought they were both girls (i.e. lesbians) because of Neji's hair…

(**2**) I considered a number of different excuses… (almost used the one from **Itsu**, where I had him say "You see, the universe is expanding, so it took me a little longer to get here then usual.") But, ultimately I just decided on this one… I was thinking of listing the "REJECTED" ones here… but then I thought, I'd like to start including more Kakashi excuses in each one of his appearance in my stories from now on, so that is what I will do… (Send suggestions if you have any)

**A/N**: That is actually the very first SAI appearance in any of my stories (Yamato too)… I had to throw him a bone… gave Sai a special little intro… lol… which kind of began to pull the story in it's own different direction… almost make it seem like 2 stories in one… I was going to separate them off, but… whatever… I think it works fine enough.

Anyway… other than that… oh yeah there's also another HUGE problem here (and not just that it hit 3am as I was finishing this)… I've actually noticed I do this a lot in my fic, but this chapter is by far the worst yet… I tend to skip around from Neji's POV to Tenten's POV a lot… though still, technically in 3rd person the whole time… it seriously irks me… agh… I need to work on that…

**PERVIOUS GAME**:  
"Knowing that she had recognized the poetry in his words"; that was the game last time… to identify what it meant. Basically, a lot of what Neji said in the last chapter, were almost direct quotes (or paraphrasing) of the poem he wrote to Tenten in chapter 33.  
Congrats to all of you who got it!

**NEW GAME**: Semi-hardish…  
(**i**) _**Tenchi Bridge mission**_… if Team Kakashi just returned from that mission, what big event just happened?

_Hint_: it has to do with who they saw… nothing too complicated; so don't over think it… I'm not trying to trick you… it's actually very simple… and there's actually a bunch of "right" answers to this one.


	39. Panda

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I went to the zoo today! Got to see the pandas! Yay!... long line though… didn't get to see the zebra's or giraffe's though… but it was all still fun though **XD** Sorry it took so long to update, been UBER busy… but I did update **Wind&Dragon**, and **One-Shot: Happy Birthday**… and I'm hoping to update **W&D** tomorrow again… but I make no promises…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

**GAME WINNERS**: _**Sony89**_, _**Nichi Nara**_, _**Shadeehue**_, _**AmethystDreamer**_, _**Shenhui**_, _**shining kitsune**_, _**BleedingHeartHeiress-v2.0**_, _**Shikyo no Amatsu Shinsei**_ (formerly _Tenjichan_), _**ChristinaAngel**_, _**AnimegirlKiki**_, _**Calvin the stupendos man**_, and _**Ceridwen Inari**_(technically kabuto is't planning on overthrowing Orochimaru then... he was supposedly under a mind-control jutsu by sasori, at least i'm assuming that's the one you're referring to) and _**Midnight Memories**_ (I'll give it to you in part because it is the one where they met Sei... but also because you give awesome reviews **XD**),

_**DEDICATION**_ – lol… this one's dedicated to Bai Yun ("white cloud"), Gao Gao ("big big"), Su Lin ("A little bit of something very cute") and most especially Zhen Zhen ("precious") the cutesy baby panda cub who took an adorable pose at the top of the bamboo "forest" for a prefect picture today… Panda's! XD

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
PANDA**_**  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"_It seems that the client who hired us to deliver this most important of packages has been detained. I'm afraid this means we will have to remain in this village for another day before we can complete our mission."_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

That was what Gai had informed them late the pervious night. For this reason, Neji, Tenten, and Lee had been given the day off. For the last few hours they had been aimlessly wandering around the foreign village, with nothing to do, while their sensei set off to investigate the reasons behind their client's tardiness.

"So what should we do?" Tenten turned to Neji; patiently waiting his answer.

"Hn." Neji shrugged, not really sure there was anything to do in this village. It wasn't any place they had ever visited, so he really wasn't sure _**what**_ they could do.

"Perhaps we should take the time to train." Lee suggested, as expected.

"Umm... Lee…" Tenten began, "I'm not so sure that's a good idea; plus, we do that every day. We should do something fun."

"Tenten-san!" Lee gasped, "How could you say such a thing?" he stared wide-eyed at the kunoichi. "To even suggest that training is not –"

"She's right Lee." Neji cut off the weeping shinobi's protests. "Gai-sensei instructed that we are not call attention to ourselves." He added, without going into further explanations; though there really was no need for one anyway.

"Thank y–" Tenten gasped just as she was beginning to thank Neji for his support.

"What is it Tenten-san?" Lee asked; concerned as to why the weapons mistress had stopped mid-sentence.

"…" Tenten merely stared adorningly at Neji.

Though it was common knowledge that the bun-haired kunoichi held the Hyuga prodigy to great esteem, the starry eyed look directed at him from the weapons mistress was something even Neji had never see; it somewhat unnerved him, though not because he actually disliked it.

Unable to stand the intense blushing gaze aimed in his direction, Neji hesitantly turned away.

"Tenten?" Neji began; having realized the true meaning behind her doting gaze. "Would you like to go there?" he turned back toward the bun-haired kunoichi.

"Can we?" Tenten asked timidly.

"Hn." Neji nodded his head, before turning to walk; a knowing smirk etched on his beautiful face. Though relieved to know the reason behind her look, Neji was slightly disappointed that he had been mistaken in his original assumption. "Let's go." The prodigy instructed.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"A Zoo?" Lee asked curiously upon arriving at the front gates.

"Yeah." Tenten smiled cheerfully.

"Shall we go in?" Even as he asked, Neji began walking in, knowing Tenten would follow.

"You enjoy going to the zoo?" Lee asked Tenten as the three teammates walked through the main gates.

"Not really." Tenten replied; less cheerful than she had been moments earlier, though still obviously excited about being there. "It's kind of sad that they keep these poor animals locked up in cages, preventing them from ever knowing the true meaning of freedom..." she sighed mournfully.

"A lot of these animals are born in captivity." Neji stated, "They would not know how to survive in their natural habitat."

"And does that mean they should be caged like wild animals?" Tenten protested.

"Tenten…" Neji paused, "They _**are**_ wild animals."

"Ok fine," Tenten rolled her eyes, "bad example."

"Tenten-san." Lee walked behind the two, looking intently at a small pamphlet they had received upon entering the front gates, "it says here that this zoo helps fund research to protect wild-life; that all the animals are medically cared for, protected from the elements, well-fed and well-housed. Doesn't that mean that they lack for nothing?" Lee asked.

"Except for freedom." Tenten responded, growing sadder by the moment.

"It says here this zoo is said to be one of the few that has all of its major exhibits at open-air." Neji read off his own pamphlet, trying to comfort Tenten. He knew her well enough to know she was feeling conflicted, due to both her excitement for being there and her displeasure of seeing animals held in captivity. "It is extremely active in it's conservation and species-preservation efforts. Additionally, the facilities for each species are specifically created to simulate the natural habitat of each animal. And furthermore, the acreage is quite extensive, which means that the animals are in a more expansive condition than in most other Zoos; free to roam at their leisure." He informed her.

"…" Tenten smiled brightly at the prodigy. "Thank you Neji." She replied; grateful for his efforts.

"Hn." Neji turned his gaze away from the smiling kunoichi; inwardly happy that he could bring the joy back to her face.

"Tenten-san…" Lee began. "If you are so opposed to Zoos, then why is it that you seemed so excited to come here?" he asked.

"Oh…" Tenten looked down at the dirt floor, shyly shuffling her feet as they continued walking. "Well, I noticed that this zoo happens to be one of the few that houses my favorite animal." She informed him.

"Favorite animal?" Lee repeated. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"Umm…" Tenten bit her lower lip, a little embarrassed at how infatuated she was with the adorable black and white mammals she loved so much.

"Pandas." Neji replied for her; having long ago learned of the girl's obsession.

"Pandas?" Lee looked at Tenten questioningly. "Those big white bears with the black spots?"

"They're not really spots Lee." Tenten explained, "Panda's are actually black and white. They have black fur on both ears, around their eyes, muzzle, legs, and shoulders; the rest of the bear's coat is white, but their coloring is considered to be both black and white, not white with spots."

"Oh." Lee silently walked ahead of them; continuing to read the pamphlet he carried in his hands, as if searching for more information.

"Oh no!" he abruptly stopped walking, before turning to show his teammates, who had also stopped, what he had found. "It says here that panda's are in danger." He tearfully pointed at the page where he had read. "I shall make it my mission to save these most precious animal's, especially because they are Tenten-san's favorite!" he excitedly pumped his fist in the air, hyping himself up for his self-imposed mission.

"Endangered." Neji corrected. "Not 'in danger.'"

"Huh?" Lee cocked his head to the side, not quite understanding the difference.

"It means that the Panda, as a species, are slowly vanishing from the world. But don't worry Lee," Tenten tried to comfort the boy who had grown noticeably depressed upon listening to her explanation. "There are lots of programs that are attempting to rescue the panda from the brink of extinction." She informed him. "So don't feel sad. Extinction is forever, but 'endangered' means there is still time." (**1**)

"Tenten-san…" Lee watched the bun-haired kunoichi curiously. "Why is it you like panda's so much?" he asked.

"Why?" she repeated. "I supposed it's because I always saw a kindred spirit in them." Tenten replied.

"What do you mean?" Lee wondered.

"Well…" she thought pensively. "We're a lot a like you know."

"How's that?" Lee asked.

"For one, our origins are from the same nation." Tenten stated.

"Really?" Lee stared wide-eyed.

"Yeah." Tenten smiled at the boy's surprised expression. He had a way of being amazed by the smallest of things; it was quite endearing. "My ancestors came to Konoha only a few generations ago."

"I didn't know that." Lee stated excitedly. "What else, what else?"

"Umm…." Tenten thought, "We both like bamboo." She offered with a slight shrug.

"Bamboo?" Lee looked at her wearily. "You can eat bamboo?"

"Well not on its own." Tenten informed him, "but bamboo shoots go well in various dishes."

"Oh." Lee nodded. "You can cook?" he asked, after a brief pause; shock evident in his voice.

"Lee." After listening for the entire walk across the zoo to their conversation, Neji finally interjected. "You ask too many questions."

"But, Neji-kun…" Lee turned toward the aforementioned Hyuga. "Are you not curious too?"

"Hn?" Neji waited for Lee's explanation.

"About Pandas." Lee explained, "and about Tenten-san, and about how they're the same; and about if Tenten-san can cook; and about…"

"Enough." Neji waved his hand. "It does not matter."

"How can you say such a thing?" Lee protested.

"We have arrived." Neji stated, motioning toward the panda exhibit a new yards away.

Sure enough, the three had finally arrived at their destination. Thankfully, though it was a few hours past noon and most of the animals in the park were on their after-lunch nap, the zoo's panda was still lazily grazing on a stick of bamboo. Tenten squealed joyously at the sight of the large black and white mammal. She was very happy to see the beautiful bear.

Neji watched at the girl smiled wildly in front of him. He was happy to see her so excited and cheerful. It seemed to him as is she was practically glowing from her enthusiasm.

"Cute." Neji whispered unconsciously; a small smile on usually stoic face.

"WHAT?" Lee turned to face the Hyuga, who had been standing directly beside him.

"What's wrong Lee?" Tenten turned around to face her spandex wearing teammate.

"N-Neji-kun…" Lee stammered in disbelief; an accusing finger pointed at the Hyuga.

"Lee." Neji spoke in a warning tone.

"What about Neji?" Tenten wondered, obviously having missed Neji's deathly glare aimed at the green-clad shinobi.

"Nothing." Neji sternly answered for their friend. "Ignore him."

"Neji-kun…" Lee continued, ignoring Neji's warning. "He said 'cute'."

"Lee!" Neji growled.

"You did?" Tenten giggled at the prodigy's obvious discomfort.

"No." Neji denied.

"Yes you did." Lee insisted. "I heard you."

"You are mistaken." Neji continued to deny.

"Aww." Tenten continued giggling. "Don't worry Neji. I promise we won't tell anyone." She smiled reassuringly.

"Hn." Neji turned his head away indignantly.

"It's okay." Tenten reassured him. At this the Hyuga turned back, wondering what exactly she meant by that. "Panda's _**are**_ cute. There's nothing wrong with thinking that." She smiled brightly, before turning back to face the black and white bear again.

"But –" Lee began to protest.

"Shut up Lee." Neji hissed threateningly beside Lee's ear, as he covered the bowl-headed boy's mouth with his hand, relieved that Tenten had misunderstood, though slightly disappointed at the same time.

_I guess she really does have a lot in common with them_. Neji smirked, musing over Tenten's earlier statement.

He wished he could be more open about his feelings and tell her exactly how he felt; that would make him truly happy. For now, he was just content to see her so cheerful. Someday she'd know, and then Lee would understand why Neji didn't share Lee's curiosity about Tenten, or why she liked panda's, or how they were so similar, or if she could cook. There was no reason for him to be curious; he already knew the answers to all those questions, and to many others…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**(1)** "Extinction is forever; Endangered means there is still time." I remember seeing it painted on the manatee exhibit at sea world years ago (and every year after that I've been there)… it really touched me.

**A/N**: Aww… that came out sweet. I was thinking it was going to end up being light on the NejiTen fluff… because it was mostly a piece inspired by my trip to the zoo today… but, I managed to throw in a little fluffiness in there. **XD**

Hope you liked it…  
ONE LAST NOTE… I did take a while to update this collection (two weeks to be exact)… I'm trying to finish out the Ryoku/Xiu-Juan story, so I might be concentrating on it a lot more than this one for a while… but no worries, I will update here from time to time… plus, this one's going to be around for a very very long time, so… there will be plenty of new stories to look forward to eventually… I'm still going to do another one soon for that last dedication I promised… and then I'll continue on with the second round of dedication for my most loyalists of reviewers (LOVE YOU ALL!!)… okay, well… that's it…

**Remember to REVIEW, please and thank you**. **XD**

* * *

**LAST GAME:  
Me**: Chaba…Guess what, Guess what, Guess what?  
**Chaba** (my little brother): SASUKE!  
**Me**: How'd you know? **(i)**

lol… if you don't understand that… then you're probably more mature than my 16 year old brother and I are at times… then again, we're infamous for our nonsensical conversations, which most people just don't understand. **XP**

**Chaba**: Hey Evy, I want a Liberty Burger.  
**Me**: Would you like a side order of Freedom fries with that?  
**Chaba**: Yeah. And for desert, make me some Justice waffles.  
**Me**: okay.  
**Chaba**: oh, and for breakfast tomorrow, I want Freedom toast and Equality bacon!  
**Me**: Hey, I didn't know Canada hated us…  
**Chaba**: eh… at this point I assume every country hates us.  
**Me**: I see your point.

Lol… oh, btw, the ANSWER _**was**_ Sasuke…although I was also accepting Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasori; or a general description of that mission.

**NEW GAME:  
**Well, originally the new game was going to be what Neji was thinking when he said those last italicized words in his head, but then I rewrote the ending and basically answered that question… so the actual question this time around is…  
**(i)** What does the above exchange between my brother Chaba (which is a nickname btw, not his actual name) mean?... oh, and I mean the FIRST ONE with Sasuke… lol… although if you can see the pattern in the second one, kudos to you! (though I seriously don't expect anyone to get it)

HINT: I believe it's an american "joke"... goes like this:  
Person1: Guess what.  
Person2: What?  
Person1: XXXXXXX XXXX (then starts laughing like an idiot)... X's are meant to represent blank spaces... or letters to the two word "punch line"

... it can also continue one with person1 saying...  
"guess why" and "guess who"... with their respective "joke" answers

the key to this game is to figure out what goes in those blank spaced for person1's reply... and then figure out how that's connected to the first nonsensical conversation between my brother and me (hint two: Sasuke... come on people, i just practically gave it away)

'sigh' one of these days i WILL sleep more than 4 hours in a night... i swear it... it's my dream (aka life's goal/ambition)!


	40. If Only

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: 40 chapters., 600 reviews, and over 37,000 hits… so cool!... you guys are so awesome… and I want to take this opportunity to not only thank you here, but thank you in a comic strip that I drew (staring NejiTen of course), which is linked at the top of my profile. **XD**

**  
**_**THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!**_

**WARNING**: I apologize here… not my best… also… though it may come out a little anti-Lee… or Lee-bashing-ish… You all know I love Lee right?... It's just… fun to tease him every so often. He's so endearingly naive at times…

**GAME WINNERS**: _pookafalicious_, _BleedingHeartHeiress-v2.0_, _Nichi Nara_, and ESPECIALLY _shining kitsune_, _ninjafrogofHNM_, and _Artemis Lightmetal_... for knowing that it wasn't just Chicken Butt, but that it was related to Sasuke's hair!

Also, kudos to _fmorgana-bluenausicaa_ and _Midnight Memories_, who got the second convo... lol... but being French and Canadian... not surprised. **XD**

_**DEDICATION**_ – Another general Ded… I dedicate it to every single one of the 37.000plus hits, and more especially to the 600 reviews, reviewers **XD**… thank you all for reading.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**IF ONLY…  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Spring had just begun, and already the sun in Konoha was sweltering. As always, team Gai had been training since the early morning hours. Usually the loud group of four would train non-stop until sunset, but for the last few days, training had been slow and interrupted; even ending hours earlier than back when they were genin.

"Is there something wrong Tenten-san?" Lee shoved his face up to Tenten's; grabbing hold of her shoulders to pull her closer.

"Lee?!" Tenten's alarmed voice, protested weakly at the sudden closeness of her goofy teammate.

Neji had just sat down to mediate against his favorite tree, when his loud teammate was suddenly shoved directly in front of him.

"Are you sick, Tenten-san?" Lee asked, after brushing himself off and walking back toward his female teammate.

"No." Tenten denied; closing her eyes in frustration.

"You don't feel warm." Lee pressed his hand up against the girl's forehead; completely oblivious to the fact that his teammate didn't seem to want to be touched.

"Stop that." Tenten slapped his hand away. "I'm fine." She insisted.

"But, you have been moving a lot slower lately." Lee observed; his eyes staring far off into the distance, as if he was trying to figure something out.

Lee, being Lee, didn't notice the aura of rage emanating from the kunoichi as she glared menacingly at the mini-green beast. This, however, did not go escape Neji, as he watched the pair with mild amusement; a slight smirk hidden beneath the cascading hair covering his face as he rested his chin on his chest.

"Lee." Tenten fumed through clenched teeth.

"Perhaps Neji-kun has been training you too hard." Lee mused.

"…" Neji silently growled at the insinuation. He resented that his annoying teammate would imply he would ever do anything to cause Tenten harm; if anything, Neji had been holding back because he too had noticed the weapons mistress sluggish movements, over the past few weeks.

"I'm fine Lee." Tenten rolled her eyes; growing irritated with Lee's probing.

"But Tenten-san…" Lee protested in a whinny tone.

The bun-haired kunoichi glared at her bothersome friend, but living with Neji as a teammate, Lee had long since grown immune to such tactics.

"Maybe…" he pondered, staring directly past Tenten into the forest. "Maybe it's that time of the month?" the bowl-headed shinobi slowly suggested.

"What?" Tenten venomously hissed as she slowly approached the spandex wearing shinobi.

"Umm…" Lee, still oblivious, continued. "I don't know exactly what that means, but I hear Naruto-kun say it all the time to Sakura-san." He paused. "But I can never ask him what it means, before he loses consciousness…" he paused to think about it momentarily, as he turned to face the fuming kunoichi. "Are you okay Tenten-san? You look flushed."

"L.e.e.…" Tenten growled.

"That's enough." Neji stepped between the two.

Though he wasn't usually the type to interfere, or come in the defense of his idiot teammate, Neji could help but come to Lee's rescue this time; after all, if in fact Lee was correct, even HE didn't deserve what Tenten was about to do to him. s

"But Neji-kun…" Lee protested; too stupid to realize his life had just been spared. "Are you not worried about our precious Tenten-san as well?"

"Lee." Neji warned, though the bowl-haired dim-wit didn't seem to understand. "If Tenten says she is well, then we have no reason to doubt her."

"But—" Lee began again.

"…" Neji sent the boy a deathly glare.

"Oh, I know!" Lee exclaimed enthusiastically. "I shall find Gai-sensei and together we shall discover what is wrong with Tenten-san."

"I told you Lee…" Tenten began protesting, but didn't get a chance to finish before Lee ran off into the forest, at frightening speed. "Idiot." She scoffed.

"Hn." Neji agreed. "Regardless, he has a point." Neji turned toward the kunoichi.

"What do you mean?" Tenten looked up at the Hyuga; pretending that she didn't understand.

"Do not play with me Tenten." Neji warned; glaring down at the girl.

"I don't know what you mean." Tenten insisted.

"Tell me." Neji ordered.

"Tell you what?" The kunoichi looked up innocently.

"Fine." The prodigy scoffed. "Go home." He ordered.

"What?" Tenten stared at the Hyuga incredulously.

"You are of no use to me like this." Neji simply stated.

"…" Tenten felt the rage in her beginning to bubble; while at the same time, her heart began pounding painfully in her chest. '_How could you say that to me Neji?_' she dejectedly though.

"If you cannot trust me, there is no reason we should be partners." Neji bluntly stated, not thinking about the effect his words might have. Giving her one last look, he sighed, before proceeding to leave the training grounds, leaving a hurt Tenten behind.

"Neji…" Tenten mournfully whispered as she watched his retreating back.

"…" Tenten walked to Neji's favorite spot and sat down against the tree. She leaned back into it, sighing as she closed her eyes. "It's not that I don't trust you Neji…" she signed again. "You're just the last person I can tell…"

Since the night of her birthday, she had been having the same horrible nightmare over and over again. It was interrupting her sleeping patterns; making it difficult for her to perform well during training. It wasn't even the dream really, though admittedly it was rather unpleasant. The really issue was how it made her feel; what it made her realize. (**1**)

"I don't know what I would do…" Tenten sighed. "… If I lost them… if they weren't there…" she swallowed painfully. "If you weren't there…" her voice began breaking. "N-Neji." She whispered, before shutting her eyes tightly to hold back the tears.

"Why would I ever leave you?" Neji's baritone voice caught her by surprise.

"Neji!" Tenten gasped; hitting her head against the tree trunk as she jumped up in surprise.

"Tenten." Neji ran to her side. "Are you hurt?" he asked as he checked the back of her head; thankfully finding nothing.

"I'm fine…" Tenten turned down; too ashamed to look him in the eye.

"Tenten." He cupped her chin with his right hand. "Please." He lifted her face to his. "Trust me." He softly pled, looking deeply into her tired eyes.

"I…" Tenten started; too afraid to tell him, unsure of how he might react.

"Hn." Neji sighed. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He pulled her to him, tightly embracing her in his arms. "Whatever it is…" He paused, tightening his hold on her. "Know that I will never leave your side."

"N-Ne—." Tenten whispered. "Thank you Neji." she smiled into his chest.

He was grateful that she was pressed against his chest, thus unable to see the pink tint in his cheeks. It wasn't how he had intended to do this, but regardless, finally finding the courage to confess to her how he truly felt, he couldn't let this opportunity slip away.

"Tenten." He inhaled deeply to calm his nerves; taking in her intoxicating aroma in the process. "I really like you."

He waited for her reaction. It seemed like an eternity passed, though it was likely no more than a few minutes; still, with every passing moment, Neji's heart broke piece by piece as the silence tormented him.

"Tenten?" he called out; attempting to mask the pain in his voice.

After a few more minutes, with still no response, he pulled the girl from his chest to look at her. "Tenten?"

'_So that's why_.' A small smiled spread across the Hyuga's face as he realized why the girl hadn't replied; she was sleeping. She hadn't heard any of it.

Lifting her up into his arms, he allowed himself to indulge the one urge he had been holding on to for so long.

"I love you." He whispered, before gingerly kissing her forehead. "If only…" (**2**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: Finally did an actual "confession" chapter… wasn't quite where I had thought I was going with this story when I started it… and to be honest… not the greatest thing I've ever written (probably shouldn't have started typing at midnight…) but it's fine.

(**1**) To somewhat understand this chapter, it might help to read _chapter 1_ of **1S:HP**… which is the _**Tenten birthday-fic**_ I wrote last month…  
(**2**) Those last two words… just kind of got placed in there last minute after the edit/last read through… I was iffy on whether or not to include them, but I figured… whatever, why not? (plus I titled the shot after those two lines) Decide for yourselves what Neji meant by those last two words….

* * *

LAST GAME:  
The 'joke' goes like this:

person 1: Guess what.  
person 2: What?  
person 1: Chicken butt!  
(and then it continues on with "Guess Why." "Chicken Thigh."; "Guess Who. "Chicken Poo")

So… basically it was in reference to Sasuke's hair...** XP**

As for the second little rant between my brother and me (though it's not actually part of the game), it's a political reference to back when the USA "renamed" it's French Fries to "freedom fries"... the joke there was that my brother wanted Hamburgers, but renamed them into "liberty burgers"... Liberty being put in place of "Hamburg", which is the name of a city in Germany... then the desert "Justice Waffles" in place of "Belgium waffles"... "Freedom Toast" in place of "French Toast"... and "Equality Bacon" in place of "Canadian Bacon"... which is why I then mentioned if we (as in the USA) were having problems with Canada... to which my bro points out that at this point everyone hates us XP...

NEXT GAME:  
Everyone can get this one easily, just go to my profile and click on the **THANK YOU FOR 37K HITS** for this story… (just a cute little comic strip I drew staring NejiTen)… the game question is:

What did Tenten threaten to do to Neji in the comic strip? **XD**

**Remember to REVIEW… please and thank you.**


	41. The Challenge

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I will warn you now… you probably won't see the ending coming for this one… sorry it's a bit crack-ish…but it's humorous (at least in my twisted mind XP).

Sadly, I also have to inform you all that this is probably going to be my last update for a while (like a month)… I _**might**_ have one more within the week… but… don't count on it… so, instead I invite you (if you haven't already), check out some of my other stories… almost everything is pretty much NejiTen, so I'm sure you'll find something to entertain yourselves with… ok well… read on and enjoy. **XD**

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

**GAME WINNERS**: _Rivendell's Princess_, _Hikoru, Aniki_, _Chibi Itachi_, _Shikyo no Amatsu Shinsei_, _Nichi Nara_, _BitterLife_, _shining kitsune_, _a single waterlilly_, _ninjafrogofHNM_, _iceyxstrawberry_, _Midnight Memories_, _Shenhui_, _CaffineFreePepsi_, _Kunoichi-of the-Leaf_, _Sarawinnie_, and _ChristinaAngel_

_**DEDICATION**_ – **ninjafrogofHNM**… thanks for all the reviews. Hope you like the chapter. **;D**

_and there ends the last of my double-digit reviewers… starting next chapter I'm starting a second cycle. __**XD**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE CHALLENGE  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Gai had been suspiciously absent from their morning training session; instead, sending a massage to his students, informing them that their training for the day was… to take the day off. Not only had he cancelled sparring and training, Gai had even gone so far as to prohibit them from using any chakra, and worst, from touching any weapons; in essence, it was a challenge.

It had been a difficult challenge for all of them; team Gai, after all, was highly regarded for their hard working spirit. It was a well known fact that if anyone ever wanted to find any of the 4 members, it was a sure bet they'd be training. So to have their "training" be to refrain from doing any ninja exercise… well, to them… was sheer torture.

As a suggestion to keep their minds off of training, Lee had come up with the idea that they all eat lunch together; he had even invited the rest of their friends, so that they could make the day move faster. Having nothing to do until then, Tenten had decided to keep herself occupied by taking care of the errands and chores that had piled up over the weeks because of missions and training.

Tenten had spent most of the day cleaning, before taking off to buy groceries. She had gotten so distracted at the store, that she had failed to notice what time it was until she was already running late for their lunch.

'oomph' Tenten grunted as she, and all the grocery bags, came tumbling to the ground. "What the hell?!" she yelled, ready to pound on whoever had just caused her to fall to the ground.

"Sorry, sorry." A deep voice, belonging to a boy Tenten had never seen before, apologized from above the kunoichi.

He looked to be around her age, maybe a year or two older, with short messy silver hair, covering the left side of his face; pitch black eyes, and the warmest smile she had ever seen.

"It was my fault." Tenten sheepishly replied; having instantly forgotten about her earlier anger. "I was in a hurry and wasn't really paying attention where I was going. Sorry; I shouldn't have been running so carelessly." She apologized.

"No, no," the boy shook his head. "It was my fault, I saw you coming, and I still ran into you." He smiled apologetically.

"You- huh?" Tenten looked up at the guy curiously. '_What a weird guy_.' She thought to herself. (**1**)

"Here." The boy knelt down next to Tenten. "Let me help you." He began helping her pick up the scattered groceries.

"Thanks." Tenten smiled, as the two continued to put everything in her bags.

"By the way, my name is Tenjo Haine." He warmly extended his right hand as he introduced himself. "What's your name cutie?" (**2**)

'_Cutie?_' Tenten stared up at the silver haired boy. '_Who is this guy?_'

"TENTEN-SAN!" Lee yelled out from a few yards away.

"Oh no!" Tenten quickly got to her feet, picking up the bags they had just finished repacking. "I'm late." Turning back to Haine, she smiled and said "Thank you for your help. Sorry again about bumping into you. Bye!" she waved before running off to join her teammates.

"Tenten-san, do you need help?" Lee offered, taking a few of her bags to ease the load.

"Thanks Lee." Tenten replied.

"Tenten?" Neji spoke up from beside Lee.

"Yeah?" The kunoichi turned to face her sparring partner.

"Who was that?" Neji asked; his firm gaze fixed to the direction the kunoichi had just come from.

"Who was who?" Tenten replied; turning to face behind her, though still not understanding the prodigy's question.

"Never mind," Neji murmured, before taking some of her bags himself.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"So these two shinobi are setting up their camp for the night. They pitch their tent under the stars and go to sleep," Naruto enthusiastically entertained everyone from the head of the table. "In the middle of the night, the first shinobi wakes the second shinobi and says 'look up at the stars and tell me what you see' the second shinobi says 'I see millions and millions of stars.' And the first shinobi says 'and what can you deduce from that?' so the second shinobi says 'Well, if there are millions of stars, and if even a few of those have planets, it's likely there are some planets like ours out there. And if there are a few planets like ours out there, there might also be life on those planets' the first shinobi looks at the second shinobi and says, 'you idiot, it means that someone stole our tent!'" (**3**)

The large circular table erupted in laughter, as Neji, Tenten and Lee slowly approached the group.

"Hey you guy's are late!" Naruto accusing pointed at the trio that had just arrived; irritated that they had not been there for his hilarious joke.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Tenten nervously rubbed the back of her head. "It's kind of my fault."

"What happened, Tenten-san?" Hinata asked from beside her teammates; concern evident in her pale white eyes.

"No, nothing bad." Tenten reassured her. "I was just running a little late and then I got distracted looking for something at home…" she trailed off; still upset over having lost the brand new weapon information book she had just purchased earlier in the day.

"Did you lose something?" Sakura asked from Naruto's right.

"Yeah, but it's okay, don't worry about it." Tenten waved her hands to dismiss the subject, as she and her teammates took a seat.

"I'm surprised your sensei give you guy's a day off." Shikamaru dully stated.

"Yeah, that's right; don't you guy's normally train every day except for right after a mission?" Kiba chimed in from Naruto's left.

"Yes, but today Gai-sensei had an important thing to do." Lee volunteered; mentioning the second part of Gai's message, explaining his absence from their "challenge".

"Important?" Chouji asked between bites.

"What kind of 'important thing'?" Ino asked; her curiosity peeked.

"He didn't say." Tenten answered for her spandex-wearing teammate.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, calling over everyone's attention. "Didn't Kakashi-sensei say he had an important thing to do today too?" he asked Sakura.

"Ah…" Sakura tapped her chin as she thought. "Actually – eep!" she yelled, jumping under the table before she could finish.

"Sakura-san!" Lee exclaimed.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled, jumping up at the same time as Lee.

"What's wrong Sakura?" Ino asked the hiding girl.

"Shhhh." Sakura hissed. "Keep it down. Keep it down!"

"Is something wrong Sakura-san?" Hinata timidly asked.

"No, nothing. It's just for some reason this creepy guy has been following me around all day." Sakura explained.

"Creepy guy?" Kiba repeated curiously.

"Is he outside?" Shino inquired.

"Yes!" Sakura hissed, pointing toward the window behind Team Gai.

"Where?" Tenten turned to see through the window.

"Hey, it's you!" a familiar smile greeted the bun-haired kunoichi. "Wait there!" after a few seconds, the boy Tenten had met earlier in the day walked in the restaurant and approached their table. "Hey there cutie!" he smiled as he walked up to Tenten.

'_It's that weird guy again_.' Tenten thought to herself as she smiled politely. "Hello… Tenjo-san." She greeted, having successfully scanned her memory for the boy's name.

"You remembered!" Haine cheerfully smiled. "But you can call me Haine."

"Okay…" Tenten smiled wearily. '_Wonder what this guy wants…_' she asked herself.

"I'm glad I ran into you again Cutie." Haine smiled.

"You are?" Tenten asked bewilderedly.

"Of course!" Haine replied. "I believe this belongs to you." He stated; pulling out a small book from the sack he was carrying.

"My book!" Tenten jumped up excitedly, before accepting the book and then throwing her arms around the boy. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she exclaimed happily. "I thought I'd lost it." releasing her hold on the strange boy, she looked down at the book in utter joy. "You have no idea… Thank you!" she exclaimed again, looking up the silver haired boy. "What can I do to make it up to you? Anything! You name it, it's yours!"

"Anything?" Haine repeated.

"Yeah." Tenten agreed, without thinking, as she stared happily at her lost book.

"How about a date?" Haine happily asked.

"Huh?" Tenten abruptly turned up from her book. "A date?"

"Yup." Haine smiled widely. "You and me, go out on a date."

'_A date?_' Tenten repeated to herself. '_I'm not so sure about this…_'

Tenten turned nervously towards her friends, who had all been sitting quietly, in stunned silence. She didn't really know what do; it was the first time anyone had ever shown an interest in her; if in fact that was the case. She didn't really understand what was going on. Because she was always either on missions or training, there hadn't really been much time for her to socialize with anyone other than her teammates and the occasional group gathering like this, but outside of them, Tenten had never really talked to other people, let alone dated; she wasn't really sure what to make of Haine.

'_He is so weird._' Tenten mused to herself. It wasn't that she didn't think he was cute; really, it's be hard for anyone to look at the guy and think otherwise, but there was already someone Tenten liked, and compared to **him**, no one else measure up. '_Actually, they're so different._' She considered this in her head. '_Not just personality; even in appearance_.' She observed; noting Haine's short, mess silver hair, contrasting with her crush's long, neat black hair, as well as Haine's charcoal black eyes, contrasting the white eyes she'd grown to cherish.

A part of her wished it was Neji who had asked her on a date just now, but looking over at the white-eyed prodigy's indifferent expression; she knew it was a hopeless dream. Haine seemed like a nice enough guy; maybe a little odd, but nice. He was also very cheerful and open; the complete opposite of Neji.

"You could show me around your village." Haine suggested, noticing the girl's hesitance.

'_Oh!_' Tenten though, '_I understand now. He's just new to the village. No wonder I've never seen him before._' Biting her lower lip nervously, she thought about his proposition some more. '_Well, he did bring me back my book. And I did promise to do anything. Guess it couldn't hurt._'

"Okay." Tenten agreed cheerfully.

"Really?" Haine asked a little surprised, before returning back to his cheerful self. "Okay then! I'll pick you up at 6." He smiled, then waved goodbye as he walked out the door.

'_Wait…_' Tenten gasped. Turning to behind her, she called out to Haine from the window. "I didn't tell you where I live!"

"Don't worry about it!" Haine shouted back. "I'll find you."

"How?" Tenten asked.

"I'll let fate guide me to you again." Haine winked his one visible eye. "I look forward to our date Cutie, bye!" And with that, Haine disappearing off into the horizon.

"So weird…" Tenten whispered to herself, before moving back to her seat.

As the whole thing had gone on, Tenten hadn't really been thinking about the others; but as she sat there in awkward silence, she suddenly felt very nervous and embarrassed. She couldn't even remember what she'd said or done at the time; it had all been so quick.

"Tenten…" Sakura finally broke the silence.

"Yeah?" Tenten prepared herself for the onslaught of questions Ino and Sakura were bound to grill her with.

"Who. Was. That. Gorgeous. Guy?" Ino shrieked. "And more importantly, does he have a twin brother?" the blond kunoichi ran up to Tenten, pushing Lee out of the chair next to her.

"When did you meet him?" Sakura chimed in, equally as excited; though not as daring as Ino to push Neji out of the seat on Tenten's other side.

"How did you meet him?" Ino asked another question.

"Where?" Sakura added another of her own.

"He's so hot, what's his name?" Ino asked, cupping Tenten's hand in hers.

"Do you like him?" Sakura added, grabbing Tenten's other hand.

"Are you really going out?" Ino asked; pulling Tenten between the two of them.

"Hey, hey, hey." Tenten gently pushed both girls off of her; releasing her hands from their grips. "His name is Tenjo Haine; I don't know if he had any brothers; I met him this morning, walking down the street; and how can I like him if I don't even know him?"

"What do you mean how?" Ino asked; shocked by her friend's response. "He's gorgeous!"

"Yeah." Sakura agreed.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto protested from across the table.

"What?" Sakura shouted angrily at the blond.

"Nothing." Naruto sunk down in his chair. Though he didn't like Sakura admiring other guys, he liked getting beat to a pulp by an angry Sakura even less.

"Tenten." Every eye turned to face Neji, whom they had all been, eagerly awaiting, to speak up.

"Yeah Neji?" Tenten turned to her left to face the prodigy.

"Was this the person who made you drop your bags this morning?" Neji asked.

"Eeh." Tenten's eyes went wide. "You saw that?" she asked with a flushed face.

"What do you mean?" Ino yelled out.

"What happened?" Sakura asked at the same time.

"Well," Tenten bashfully rubbed the back of her head. "We kind of met because I was rushing to get home, when bumped into him and dropped all my grocery bags." She admitted.

"Aww." Sakura cheered.

"That's so romantic." Ino held both hands to her face and stared off into the distance with a dreamy look on her face.

"Huh?" Tenten looked at her friends oddly.

"D-did he help pick up your bags as well?" Hinata shyly asked from the other side of the table.

"Yeah," Tenten nodded, "Why?"

"Awwww." Sakura and Ino chimed; Hinata smiled along with them.

"What are you 'awing' about?" Tenten asked, "All that happened was that we accidentally crashed into each other."

"It was no accident." Neji bluntly stated.

"Huh?" Tenten turned back to face her sparring partner. "What do you mean Neji?"

"We saw him run into you on purpose Tenten-san." Lee explained.

"What?" Tenten turned to Lee, who had picked himself off the ground and moved to sit in Ino's old chair. "Come to think of it…" she began; rubbing her finger along her jaw-line. "He did say he saw me coming…" she remembered their encounter. "heh… He's an even bigger weirdo than I thought." The kunoichi laughed.

"What?" Ino and Sakura shouted.

"You thought he was a weirdo?" Kiba asked from across the table.

"Well…" Tenten weakly smiled, "kind of."

"B-but." Hinata began. "He seems like such a nice guy."

"I wonder if he stole your book." Chouji pondered aloud.

"What?" Tenten turned to the large chunin. "Why would you think that?"

"It makes sense." Shikamaru agreed with his friend. "If he purposefully bumped into you to meet you, maybe he took the book to have an excuse to talk to you again."

"Why would he do that?" Tenten looked at friends quizzically.

"To go on a date with you, duh!" Naruto answer. "Hey that's actually pretty good… I should write that down." He muttered to himself as he searched in his pockets for paper and pencil.

"It seems like a lot of trouble just to get someone to show him around if you ask me." Tenten groaned; slouching down in her chair as she grew bored with the conversation.

"It seems she does not understand." Shino bluntly stated, to no one in particular.

"Understand what?" Tenten glanced over at the insect wielder.

"The guy thinks you're hot!" Kiba exclaimed.

"What?!" Tenten straightened herself on her seat. "You've got to be kidding." She exclaimed. "Nah, I'm sure you're wrong." She shook her head. "I'm probably just the first person he talked to in the village; that's all."

"Tenten!" Ino yelled. "He called you 'Cutie', that obviously means he likes you."

"Oh that." Tenten brushed if off. "That's probably because I never gave him my name."

"Tenten…" Sakura shook her head disbelievingly.

"What?" Tenten irritatedly asked. "Anyway, I should probably get going. I want to see if I can read something before six." She waved her book to emphasis her point, before standing up and exiting the restaurant.

"Unbelievable." Ino scowled.

"What?" Lee curiously asked.

"I don't think she even realizes it's a real date." Sakura answered.

"That's because Tenten's one of those girl who doesn't know how pretty she is." Ino stated. "Actually, come to think of it…" Ino began. "Has Tenten ever even been on a date before?" she turned to ask Sakura; ignoring the rest of the group.

Sakura shrugged; not sure of the answer. "Why do you ask?" Sakura wondered.

"Tenten's so innocent she doesn't realize that guy likes her; she might not know what a date's supposed to be like." Ino reasoned. "He did look a lot older than her, plus he's someone none one knows, and she did say he was kind of weird. What if by weird she meant perverted? What if we just let our friend go out with some kind of sex fiend?" Ino exclaimed dramatically.

"Lee." Neji abruptly stood up; silencing the table. "We're going." With that, the two teammates left as swiftly as they had appeared.

"You're pure evil Ino." Shikamaru said after Lee and Neji had left.

"I know!" Ino smiled proudly; giggling merrily at her own brilliance.

"Did you notice Kiba-san?" Shino cryptically asked.

"Yeah." Kiba smirked. "Wonder what he's playing at." The dog-nin chuckled.

"Who?" Naruto asked, not understanding what the two teammates were talking about.

"Let's just say, Haine isn't who he appears to be." Shikamaru answered.

"What do you mean Shikamaru?" Chouji and Ino asked in unison.

"…" Shikamaru smirked. "Well…"

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"Neji-kun, why are we spying on Tenten-san?" Lee whispered to his teammate from behind a bush.

"We are not spying Lee." Neji quietly replied.

"Sure looks like you're spying." Kiba snuck up from behind the pair; the rest of the rookie nine also crutched behind them in the bushes.

"Why are you here?" Neji growled; slightly embarrassed at having been caught spying on his female teammate's date.

"We could ask you the same thing." Ino smirked accusingly.

"Hn." Neji grunted, turning back to face the couple.

"They look like they're having a good time." Sakura commented. "Don't you agree Neji-san?"

"Hn." Only a few seconds there, and already Neji was growing irritated with their presence.

It was bad enough that he and Lee had spent the last three hours tracking the kunoichi and her date around the village, as the enthusiastic kunoichi showed the flirtatious Haine all the notable places in Konoha (most of which, to the Hyuga's displeasure, were in secluded areas of the forest), but now he had to endure the pestering company of these guys, along with the annoying commentary of the blond and pink haired kunoichi.

"Oh my god, look at that!" Ino exclaimed. "I think he's trying to kiss her."

Neji turned to face the couple. From their perspective, it did in fact look as if the silver haired boy was trying to kiss the weapons mistress. Haine had spent the better part of the last few hours shamelessly flirting with the kunoichi; causing Neji to grow more and more irritable; but now it was too much. Unable to stop himself, and without even thinking, Neji flew at lightning speed toward the pair.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" Neji uncharacteristically shouted, as he pushed the silver haired boy out of the way.

"Who the hell are you?" Haine asked; looking up at him from the ground.

"Neji, what are you doing here?" Tenten asked the enraged shinobi.

"Hn." Neji glared at the older guy menacingly.

"Neji, huh?" Haine rose to his feet, brushing himself off. "You do realize we're on a date right?

"No." Neji responded. "Tenten is merely showing you around the village."

"I don't think so." Haine smirked.

"Well I do." Neji replied; glaring venomously at the stranger.

"And what makes you so certain?" Haine challenged the prodigy.

"Because Tenten would not date you." Neji growled.

"Oh? And why not?" Haine prodded.

"Because she can not date anyone other than me!" Neji replied.

"What…" Tenten stood stunned behind him. "What are you saying Neji?"

"Hn." Neji did not answer; merely stared at the silver haired boy threateningly.

"Hey." Haine yelled out. "I think that means I won." He shouted toward the wall behind him.

"Won?" Neji and Tenten repeated questioningly after the silver haired boy.

"That's not fair!" an odd looking boy in green overalls popped up from behind the wall. "You cheated!" he accused Haine. "They were helping!" he pointed toward the bushes where the other nine shinobi were hiding.

"Looks like the game's up." Shikamaru stated, as he and the rest of the group walked out from behind the bushes.

"Game?" Neji and Tenten repeated; both very confused as to what was going on.

"Hey, you're that creepy guy that's been following me all day!" Sakura shouted, pointing at the other boy, "So then that means…"

"Creepy guy?" the boy in the overalls stepped back dejectedly; tears welling up in his eyes.

"I told you your way wasn't going to work." Haine shook his head pitifully at the other boy.

"Um… excuse me, but what exactly is going on here?" Tenten interrupted the simultaneous conversations that had begun in front of them.

"Tenten-san." Haine leaned in close to the girl, taking her right hand in his. "Thank you for the tour through the village." He smiled warmly. "You have a very interesting perspective on the village. I especially liked the tour of the best weapon-shops in the town; you really know your tools." He smiled warmly, before lifting the hand up to meet his lips, in a polite kiss.

"Ah…" Tenten look surprised. "You're welcome…"

"Hn." Neji sternly took hold of silver haired boy's hand; stopping it mid-air so that Haine could not lift it any further.

"Ah Neji-kun." Haine turned to the prodigy. "You're girl's cute, but don't worry, I'm not interested in girls who are that much younger than me." He smirked at Neji's obvious embarrassment; having just then realized what he had disclosed. "Don't worry. She spent most of the 'date' talking about you anyway." Haine winked reassuringly.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto spoke up. "What were you guys doing anyway?"

"Kakashi-sensei?" a puzzled look swept over Neji, before realization suddenly hit him.

'_**POOF'**_

"Ah, that…" Kakashi grinned beneath his mask, after, along with Gai, transforming back to their true selves. "Well it was Gai's turn to chose our battle and he decided the challenge would be to get our stubborn students, to finally tell each other how they felt. I chose Neji-kun and Tenten-san, and he chose Sakura-chan and Naruto-kun, or Sakura-chan and Lee-kun, I'm not sure." He shrugged. "Neither was he, that's why he lost." Kakashi mumbled, as he pulled out his favorite green book.

"But you cheated!" Gai shouted. "You had help!" he pointed at the nine other ninja accusingly.

"There was no rule against using them to help make Neji-kun jealous." Kakashi nonchalantly stated. "Besides, they acted on their own; I am not responsible for their actions." (**4**)

"Fine then…" Gai submitted. "But I demand a rematch!" the green beast shouted.

"You didn't even get close to accomplishing your challenge." Kakashi replied; his nose buried in the illicit book.

"Then we shall continue on with Neji-kun and Tenten-san." Gai exclaimed.

"And what now?" Kakashi replied, "Should I can let Neji-kun borrow my Icha-Icha series…" he began; turning the page as he continued reading. "Or maybe Tenten-san; she seems to already enjoy reading…" he commented. (**5**)

"No!" Gai shouted, "I shall not let you corrupt my precious students!" turning toward the rest of the group; tears in his eyes, "Neji-kun, Tenten-san, no matter what, do not listen to anything my rival says!"

Kakashi looked up from his book. "You do realize they left, a while back, right?"

"What?" Gai wiped away his tears to look around; sure enough the pair had long since left, leaving only their nine friends and the two sensei's behind.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"Um… Neji." Tenten nervously chewed on her lower lip, as the two walked side by side near the river's edge.

"Hn?" Neji continued facing forward; his face unreadable.

"About what you said…" she blushed nervously; abruptly stopping, as Neji continued walking.

"…" Neji stopped and turned to face the bun-haired kunoichi.

"Were you…" Tenten began; looking up at the impassive expression on the Hyuga's face. '_There's no way he actually meant it_.' she signed inwardly. '_Who was I trying to kid_…' "No. Nothing; never mind." She brushed it off, continuing on their path.

"Tenten." Neji grabbed hold of the kunoichi's wrist as she passed by him.

"Yeah?" she turned back to face him.

In one swift move, the Hyuga pulled the weapons mistress toward him. Bringing her into a tight embrace; he firmly pressed his lips upon hers. After what seemed like an eternity, as all air escaped the kunoichi's lungs, the two finally parted.

"I meant it." Neji replied. "You are mine, and mine alone." He stated; before once more, leaning down to claim her lips as his.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

* * *

(**1**) Because serious, who sees a person and keeps walking into them?

(**2**) The name comes from two different characters in two different manga I love: Tenjo after Tenjo Night, the "perfect boyfriend" from Zettai Kareshi (aka: Absolute Boyfriend); and Haine after Maboroshidou Haine, the gray winged crow from Love Monster.

(**3**) In the original joke, it's Sherlock Holmes and Watson… XP… I jut wanted to add something funny in here…

(**4**) hehehe… Kakashi's so smart… he knew Sakura and Ino would end up meddling… and he knew Shika, Kiba, and Shino would undoubtedly realize he was Haine. (Hello, Shika's a genius, and Kiba's nose and Shino's bugs?... who wouldn't have known?)

(**5**) lol… sorry that's just amusing to me **XP**

**A/N**: Well?… did anyone see that one coming?... what can I say, I like to do cliché stories (i.e. Tenten-with-her-hair-down, another-guy-making-Neji-jealous, etc… plot-lines) in a non-cliché sort of way… It's a little… umm… I don't know… kind of feel like there's some unnecessary bits, but I couldn't figure out how to fix it and I didn't want to wait any longer… I had already been sitting on this story for about a week now… though, I'm very glad I did because the last scene with Neji and Tenten, and that last bit between Kakashi and Gai, had not been there originally… and I actually ended up liking that… **XP**… It would not have been the same without that… but then I guess that's why I couldn't bring myself to post it… it just didn't seem complete until this moment… well as complete as it's going to get it seems… **XD**

So, as I said above… this is likely to be the last update for a while, so I hope you liked it… Please remember to Review… and I'll see you all again in about a month! (then I'll be on summer vacation, so I should be able to update again like a mad woman!)

Laters!

Sorry, no game this time… have to go back to studying… no time… but just so you know, _**LAST GAME:… Tenten threatened to use Neji as target practice if he didn't say think you… **_

_**So for him and for myself, I'd like to thank you all very much for (now) 39,000 hits on this story… and for all the reviews… thanks!!**__ (oh and in case you couldn't see it last time… you have to click on the comic to enlarge it. ;) )_


	42. Idiot

**TO THE COWARD INSULTING ME IN THE LAST FEW REVIEWS ANONYMOUSLY (BASHING MY KIBAHINA PAIRING AND CALLING ME ARROGANT), IF YOU WANT TO SAY SOMETHING, AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO TELL ME DIRECTLY AND NOT HIDE BEHIND ANONYMITY. AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FIC, ****STOP READING IT!*******

* * *

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I'm done… Finals are finally over! I'm so incredibly happy! And so incredibly tired! I wasn't really planning on writing anything so quickly… honestly, it's been so hectic that I haven't had time to look at emails or read any stories… I haven't even felt INSPIRED to write… but, I wanted to write something because I've made you all wait long enough. So thank you for your patience. I hope you enjoy this story.

**WARNING**: Serious lack of fluff… but some nice amount of Neji-tormenting… I do so love to torture him… **XP**

_**AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!**_

_**AND THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – I dedicate this to ALL my loyal readers who have waited so patiently for this chapter, thank you! **XD**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**IDIOT  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

'_Huh_.' Tenten stared at the two rectangular pieces of paper she held in her small hand, as she slowly made her way through the busy noon-time streets. "Maybe Hinata?" she wondered aloud. "No; I don't think she'd like it." she shook her head firmly.

Lost in thought, her feet continued to guide her direction, without the kunoichi's full knowledge as to her destination.

The morning had started out well enough; a day off, after a month of arduous work. She deserved a break. And the day really only got better. Tenten had been walking through the shopping district looking for a new weapon to add to her collection, when she happened to win two tickets to the airing of a new movie that she had been waiting to see.

The only problem now… who would she give the spare ticket to?

"Sakura?" Tenten thought it over. "No; then I'd have Ino on my back about not inviting _**her**_." Tenten was growing slightly annoyed that her good-fortune seemed to slowly be turning into a headache.

'_Sigh_.' Tenten exhaled, closing her eyes in frustration, as she stopped in the middle of the street.

"Tenten?" a familiar baritone voice pulled the kunoichi from her thoughts.

Turning, Tenten realized she had absent-mindedly ended up walking toward the Ichiraku ramen stand, where most of the boys were sitting around the counter; apparently having gathered for lunch. Scanning the small group, she noticed the familiar blond patron was surprisingly missing from the group of five. There was only Shikamaru, Chouji, Kiba, Shino, and Neji.

"NEJI!" Tenten exclaimed excitedly as she ran up to group of boys.

"Hn." Neji remained calm, as the ear piercing shriek sent the other four boys cringing in pain.

"Sorry." Tenten apologetically smiled at the boys, before turning back to face her teammate.

"What is it Tenten?" Neji calmly asked the girl.

"Oh!" Tenten pulled out the two tickets in front of her, showing them to Neji. "I won these this morning." She waived them in front of Neji excitedly. "I know its short notice, but would you like to come see this movie with me tonight?"

"Sure." Neji nodded nonchalantly.

"Ok!" Tenten smiled happily before handing one of the tickets over to him. "Then I'll see you at seven!" she added, before quickly waiving goodbye, and then disappearing down the street.

"Hn." Neji briefly looked at the ticket he held in his hand, before calmly slipping it into his shirt pocket. (1)

"Hey Neji." Kiba's mocking voice called out from behind the Hyuga.

Neji didn't even have to activate his Byakugan to know there was a teasing smirk firmly planted on dog-boy's face.

"What?" Neji growled as he turned to face the cocky smirk he'd known would be greeting him.

"I didn't realize you and Tenten were an item." Kiba teased the prodigy.

"Hn." Neji didn't reply; knowing too well Kiba would continue to pester him as he always did.

"Normally, I wouldn't agree with Kiba…" Shikamaru lazily began, "on anything." He ignored the insulted expression on the Inuzuka. "But I think he's right; that did sound an awful lot like a date."

'_Date?_' Neji arched his eyebrow questioningly at the lazy genius.

"Neji-kun has a date?" Lee abruptly asked as he finally arrived to meet the others. "With who?" The past month had drained even the lively mini-green beast; leaving everyone surprised at his sudden _calmness_.

"With Tenten!" Kiba's smirk widened as he noticed Neji was clearly beginning to feel uncomfortable with the turn of their conversation.

"NEJI-KUN!" Even his fatigue did not prevent Lee from shouted loudly at THAT piece of information.

"It's **not** a date." Neji sternly replied.

"Oh, it's a date!" Kiba teased. "Even Shikamaru agreed it was a date." He pointed accusingly at the lazy chunin.

"This is such youthful news, Neji-kun!" Lee excitedly cheered. "Gai-sensei will be so happy!"

Lee enthusiastically regained his youthful energy, if only momentarily, before quickly dashing through the streets to search for his mentor and inform him of the sudden development.

"Hn." Neji angrily glared at his younger friend; he would be sure to make Kiba pay for that. Thanks to him, now Neji would undoubtedly have to deal with Gai and Lee's insane attempts to bring Tenten and him together; that is, until they found some other crazy scheme to distract them. '_Maybe I can pay Haruno to go out on a date with Lee. That should get them off my back for a while_.' Neji thought to himself.

"Well, there's one way to know for sure." Shikamaru suggested; bring Neji out of his thoughts.

"…" Neji once more turned a questioning glance at the lazy shinobi.

"What movie is it?" Shikamaru asked.

"That's right!" Chouji nodded; understanding his best friend's reasoning immediately. "If it's 'date' or just 'friends spending time together,' you should be able to know by what kind of movie it is."

"That does sound logical." Shino agreed from beside his snickering teammate.

"I bet it's a chick-flick!" Kiba laughed. "That would prove for sure that it's a date!"

"Chick-flick?" Neji repeated uncertainly.

"You know," Kiba offered. "One of those mushy romantic movies that girls love to see. Where there's kissing, love scenes, and a happy, fuzzy, ridiculously unrealistic ending."

"Sounds like you've seen quite a number of those haven't you?" Shikamaru taunted the Inuzuka.

"Sure have!" Kiba said unashamed. "Girls love those movies on dates." He lecherously smirked as he said that.

"Well?" Chouji turned to Neji questioningly.

"Hn." Neji pulled out the ticket he had placed in his shirt pocket. Glancing down at the title, he didn't seem to recognize the movie. Looking up, he soon found himself surrounded by the other guys, who had been peeking over his should to try and see to ticket themselves.

"Never heard of it." Kiba shrugged, before returning back to his seat in front of the ramen bar.

"And the title doesn't give very much away either." Shikamaru added, as he too resumed his previous position, of leaning over the counter.

"It's probably one of those independent or foreign films or something." Chouji suggested.

"Who would want to see one of those?" Kiba cringed.

"Some people enjoy them." Shino monotonously replied.

"Tsk." Kiba scoffed. "Why am I not surprised?" He rolled his eyes at his teammate. (2)

"But, it doesn't sound very date-ish does it?" Chouji pointed out.

"Well, there are some foreign films that might… pass… as a date movie." Shikamaru observed.

"Oh yeah!" Kiba lecherously smirked. "Didn't Kakashi once get really excited about that one…"

"Exactly." Shikamaru cut in.

"So Neji…" Kiba he turned toward the prodigy, smirking mockingly. "Hey," he turned toward the others. "Where'd he go?"

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"A date?" Neji wondered to himself as he walked the busy streets aimlessly.

Neji did not like the idea one bit. It wasn't that he didn't particularly enjoy Tenten's company; it was just that he had never looked at her in that way before. Truth was, he had never looked at ANY girl in that way before; Neji had always been too busy with his training to concern himself with such trivial matters.

Tenten was a perfectly agreeable female, as far as Neji was concerned; she certainly didn't bug him as much as the other girls he knew. If he had had to pick anyone, it would more than likely be her. But still, he didn't feel for her; and he had never really thought she felt that way about him either. Neji always assumed Tenten saw him as he saw her; just a good friend. He had never suspected anything deeper than that; but as he considered the possibility, he realized that perhaps there had been signs he just had not noticed before.

She was friendly and supportive of most people, but with him, she always seemed to put in extra attention to everything he did. She would always cheer for him louder than for anyone else; always praised him to others. She would show more concern for his injuries than even her own; she never doubted him, even when he doubted himself. She always listened to everything he said; always followed his orders without question. The more he thought about it, the more Neji became convinced that perhaps she had meant this outing to the movies as a date.

The idea of it what this could mean to their team; to their friendship; it didn't sit well with Neji. It would certainly create an uncomfortable situation within the team if it didn't work out. And truth was, Neji didn't see how it possibly could work out. Though they were good friends, and excellent teammates; romantically, Neji wasn't sure there was anything to build on.

He wasn't exactly known for being the most affectionate type; whereas Tenten was very expressive when it came to her emotions, as well as to what she believed. She was hotheaded, while he was levelheaded; she was loud, while he was silent; daring, where he was routine; impulsive, while he was logical and systematic. They were too different for it to ever work out.

"I must end this before it is too late." Neji determinedly stated.

"End what?" A sweet familiar voice called from behind the prodigy.

"Tenten." Neji turned to face the bun-haired kunoichi.

"Hi Neji." Tenten smiled up at the Hyuga.

"Tenten…" Neji began.

He was prepared to tell her that he wasn't interested in starting a relationship with her, but then thought better. It was true that he could be rather bunt, and arrogant, but for some reason he didn't feel like hurting her feelings by out right rejecting her; plus, there was always the possibility that he was mistaken, and she really didn't have any feelings for him after all.

"I am afraid I won't be able to make it tonight after all." Neji pulled the ticket from his pocket and offered it back to the girl. "I apologize."

"Oh." Tenten accepted the ticket. "Well, that's okay." She warmly smiled up at Neji. "It was short notice, I understand if you had something else to do. Maybe next time."

"Hn." Neji nodded.

As he watched the kunoichi walk away, Neji suddenly felt an overwhelming surge of guilt wash over him. He hadn't meant to lie to her; and in reality, he really didn't; he had merely neglected to correct her assumption.

"It's better this way." Neji rationalized. After all, it wasn't like he felt anything for her; it wouldn't be fair to her to give her false hopes.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

The movie was supposed to be getting out soon. Neji had felt guilty the entire day; the uneasiness had eventually lured him to stand outside the theater where Tenten's movie was being played. He wasn't quite sure why, but he couldn't shake the need to apologize to her.

"HAHAHA" a bellowing laugh caught the Hyuga's attention as the crowd began pouring out of the small theater. "THAT WAS SO COOL!" Naruto shouted, as he and Tenten walked out of the theater together. "That's the most hilarious movie I've ever seen!" Naruto continued laughing.

"What. The. Hell?" Neji growled through clenched teeth as he watched the pair, from a distance, walking side by side out of the movie theater. They looked really close, as they walked side by side, laughing as they spoke. '_growl_'

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"Good morning everyone!" Lee cheerfully greeted the other boys as he and Neji arrived together for their weekly lunch.

Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, and Kiba greeted the pair as they approached the table at the BBQ restaurant Chouji had chosen for their lunch that week. They had not seen each other since the previous meeting at the Ichiraku ramen bar.

"It looks like Naruto is going to be the last one to arrive again this week too." Shikamaru commented as their two new arrivals sat down. The lazy genius was the only one to notice the slight twitch in the stoic Hyuga's left eye; though he couldn't quite figure out what it meant.

"So how was that _**date**_ last week, Neji?" Kiba teasingly asked; having been eagerly awaiting their lunch all week, just to poke fun at the prodigy.

"…" Neji murderously glared at the Inuzuka; instantly silencing the younger shinobi.

"Hey! You're all here already?" their missing blond companion yelled as he entered the restaurant.

"You're late again Naruto." Kiba accused as the annoying blond walked up to their table; attempting to shake Neji's deathly glare.

"Yeah, sorry about that." Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.

"You seem to be picking up your sensei's bad habits." Shikamaru sluggishly commented; noting Neji's murderous aura had intensified upon first hearing the blond shinobi's voice.

"You're one to talk." Naruto scoffed.

"So what's your excuse this time?" Shikamaru asked; ignoring the not so subtle jab at his former smoking habit.

"Eh, I just lost track of time." Naruto shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot!" he turned toward Lee and Neji. "Tenten-chan and I ran into Gai-sensei earlier today, and he wanted us to tell you that your training this afternoon will be canceled."

"What?" Lee stood up from his seat to face Naruto. "Why?" his face betrayed the heartbroken feeling inside, at the mere thought of canceling training. Beside him, Neji was all but fuming from the message.

"I don't know." Naruto shrugged. "I think he had a mission."

Shikamaru watched as Neji's jaw tensed, and the Hyuga clenched his fist on the table.

"Jeeze, one day without training isn't going to kill you two." Kiba chided, believing the reactions from the two male members of team Gai meant the same time; Shikamaru however, was not convinced that was the case at, but he had yet to fully connect the pieces.

"Naruto." Shikamaru began.

"Huh?" Naruto turned toward the lazy genius.

"You were with Tenten?" Shikamaru questioned; his suspicion instantly confirmed upon seeing the menacing darkness in the Hyuga's eyes.

"Yeah." Naruto sheepishly grinned.

"That's right," Lee nodded. "Naruto-kun and our team's precious flower, have been spending nearly every day together this week."

"Really?" Kiba's head jerked towards them; joining in the conversation. "So I does that mean you've given up on Sakura?" he asked Naruto.

"Kiba." Shino spoke in a warning tone; he too had begun to pick up the murderous aura emanating from the silent prodigy.

"What?" Naruto yelled surprised. "Of course not! Tenten-chan's cute and all, but no one could ever compare to Sakura-chan."

"Oh?" Kiba smirked. "So you do think Tenten's cute then?"

"Eh?" Naruto cocked his head to the side in confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"Baka, you just said you thought she was cute." Kiba yelled in his idiot friend's face.

"I did?" Naruto absentmindedly wondered.

"You did." Lee confirmed.

"Oh." Naruto shrugged. "Yeah I guess she's cute. And she's a pretty awesome too. Did you know she could use over a thousand different kinds of weapons? That girl's got some skills. The other day she pulled out this huge sword…" he extended his arms out to their fullest width to explain. "It was bigger than she was, and she spun it over her head as if it didn't weight a thing. When I tried lifting it…"

"You've been training with Tenten?" Shikamaru cut in; noticing that dark aura surrounding Neji kept increasing the longer Naruto spoke.

Being the genius he was, Shikamaru could see where this was all leading up to. Normally, he wasn't one to interfere with other's personal matters, but he just wasn't feeling up to the challenge of having to clean up the mess Naruto and Neji could create, were they to get into an altercation in the middle of the restaurant.

"Ah, well…" Naruto hesitated.

"Is it true that Naruto-san could possibly train with Tenten-san?" Lee voiced his amazement at the prospects.

"Nah, no way." Naruto shook his head firmly. "She's way too intense."

"Then why've you been spending so much time with her?" Kiba knowingly grinned.

"Hey, hey." Naruto waved his hands defensively. "I already told you, it's nothing like that. I like Tenten-chan and all, and maybe if I didn't have Sakura-chan –"

**BANG**

Everyone at the table jumped back slightly; startled at the sudden outburst, as Neji stood from his seat; his fist having dented the table where he'd slammed it moments earlier.

"Neji-kun." Lee called out to his infuriated friend. "Where are you going? We haven't eaten yet."

"I'm not hungry." Neji replied; not even bothering to turn, before walking way from the stunned group.

"Oi, Naruto." Shikamaru broke the silence left behind after Neji's abrupt departure.

"What?" Naruto asked expectantly.

"You should try to avoid Neji for a while." Shikamaru advised. "For your own safety."

"Why?" Naruto stared back in confusion. "What? You don't think he's made at _**me**_, do you?"

"Che." Kiba scoffed. "Baka. Even I'm not stupid enough to mess with Hyuga's girl." He shook his head in disbelief at Naruto's lack of common sense. "You really are an idiot Naruto."

"WHAT?" Naruto jumped up challengingly staring at the Inuzuka.

"And yet he is still stupid enough to annoy Hyuga-san." Shino commented about his friend; to which both Shikamaru and Chouji silently nodded their heads in agreement.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"Idiot." Neji fumed as he walked away from the restaurant in utter frustration. "Who does he think he is?"

The fury in his step sent everyone within his close proximity running for their lives. Even the icy Hyuga façade did little to hide the flames burning within the young prodigy. Anyone within a miles radius could sense the impending doom surrounding him.

"Che." Neji scoffed under his breath. "As if she were some consolation prize… That idiot." He balled his hands into fists once more; ready to hit the next thing to approach him.

"Who's an idiot?" a cheerful voice asked from behind the Hyuga.

"Tenten." Neji was shocked to see the kunoichi standing behind him; for a moment, he lost his composure and almost gasped in surprise.

"Wow." Tenten stared stunned at the genius. "I must be getting better. To have walked up behind you without your even noticing." She teasingly smiled up at the young man. "So who's an idiot?" she repeated her question.

"Naruto." Neji replied; unable to lie to the girl, though he wasn't sure how she would react. Secretly, he was afraid that the kunoichi might come to the knucklehead's defense; the thought of it only served to further infuriate him.

"Yeah." Tenten nodded laughingly. "He really is a baka. Can you believe he tried to lift my Nodachi the other day?" she shook her head in disbelief. "It took me years to nearly master that sword; and in the end, the only reason _**I**_ can use it is because you taught me how to channel my chakra through it to make it lighter to my touch. But even _**that**_ took years to accomplish." (3)

"So you can finally lift it?" Neji asked. He was slightly hurt that Naruto had been the first to witness her triumph over the monstrous blade; especially after all the time _**he**_ had spent helping Tenten trying to achieve that goal.

"Well, not quite." Tenten shook her head. "But almost." She smiled proudly.

"Hn." Neji nodded. "I'd like to see that some day."

"Definitely." Tenten beamed happily. "As soon as I can really do it, you'll be the first one to see it. I promise!" She stuck her thumb out before running off. It reminded him a lot of how Gai would often make them promises in their genin years; only on her, it didn't seem as ridiculous.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Oi Neji!" an obnoxious voice called out from behind the Hyuga prodigy.

Neji had still been wandering through the busy streets; having long since lost his sense of time and direction as he aimlessly maneuvered through the multitude of people.

"Hey Neji!" Naruto called out again. "I'm talking to you!"

"…" Neji stiffened; vainly attempting to restrain himself from doing anything rash. "What do you want Naruto?" he spat out, as he stopped his walking to face the younger shinobi.

"What's your problem?" Naruto demanded when he finally reached the Hyuga.

"I do not know what you are talking about." Neji replied as calmly as he could manage.

"Like hell you don't!" Naruto spat back. "You've been acting weird since that day at the theater." Naruto faced the Hyuga unflinchingly, even as he faced the deadly glare from the older shinobi. "And you didn't even bother to say hi when we spotted you that day."

"…" Neji's glare disappeared as he stood stunned at the new information. He had not realized he'd been spotted that day outside the movie theater.

"You know, I don't care if you act like a jerk to me, but you really hurt Tenten-chan's feelings by ignoring us. And all that after you bailed on her for the movies too. Jeeze, you should have seen how bummed she was when I ran into her on the way to the theater. If I'd had anything important to do that day, she would have ended up going to see that movie all by herself."

"Then you two…" Neji looked questioningly at the younger boy.

"What?" Naruto repeated; not quite sure what Neji meant.

"Nothing." Neji responded. "You are right."

"I am?" Naruto looked up stunned at Neji. "Yeah of course I am." He affirmed; not quite sure what he was right about, but he certainly wouldn't disagree with something like that.

"I shall apologize at once." Neji replied.

"Yeah. You do that" Naruto nodded. "Oh, and Neji?" Naruto called out as Neji began leaving. "It was never a date. She really did win those tickets; so you were worried about nothing." Naruto paused at the sudden surprised look from the Hyuga. "But hey, at least now you know how you really feel." He smirked knowingly before waiving goodbye and walking away.

'_Huh._' Neji stared incredulously at the blond loudmouth's retreating back. '_Maybe he's not as big an idiot as he looks after all._'

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: Eh… It's not as good as my usual stuff… and honestly, the ending kind of drags on (I just couldn't decide on how to end it), but I just needed to end it already… I've been staring at it for a few days now and nothing came to me… I was initially going to have Neji beat up Naruto and then show up in Naruto's place to another movie he and Tenten were going to go see… and the original title was going to be "chick flick" because that's all it was going to be about, but obviously that didn't stick. What can I say, I felt bad for Naruto, so I refrained myself from having Neji beat him up…and I actually made him less stupid than usual (well at the end at least… lol). **XP**

So who's the true idiot (from the title)? I wonder… lol…

KEY

(**1**) I realize his shirt doesn't have a pocket, but let's just pretend he doesn't always wear the same clothes…  
(**2**) In case you didn't get it, Kiba was rolling his eyes because Shino is the "independent/foreign film type"…  
(**3**) Nodachi is a long sword. I didn't check, but I'm pretty sure it's the same one I have Ryoku using in **W&D**.

I promise, the next one will be better… please show your love, and **Review… XD**


	43. Hands

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Ok, so I totally just got back form seeing the DEATHNOTE MOVIE today (only airing for 2 days in like 300 theaters or cities in the US... only 1 in mine), and well that, plus I was motivated by **Midnight Memories****'** Deathnote fic, which was written from L's perspective (It's really good, you all HAVE TO READ IT; link to it is on my profile). So I decided to write a First Person Narrative; from Neji's perspective.  
I apologize right now if it's crappy… remember, I haven't done a first person since chapter 2, and I hated how that one came out…here's hoping this one's better…

**WARNING**: kind of short, but there's fluff this time… lol. And, well experimental, so… feel free to NOT let me know how crappy it might be… **XP**

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – I dedicate this one to **ILuvNeji77**, who has been gone for some time, but we're so happy you're back (and by "we" I mean me, myself, and Neji and Tenten… because as the authoress I have the authority to make them say so.. mauhahaha). I hope you're feeling a lot better. :hugs:

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**HANDS  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Waiting. I hate waiting. It's a useless waste of time. When a person agrees to meet at a specified time, that person should be courteous enough to show up on at the predetermined hour. And if not, they better have a damn good reason for not being there. And that reason better end with them in the hospital, because otherwise, I will make sure their arrival ends that way.

"Idiot." I growl under my breath as I vainly attempt to calm myself into a meditative state; it isn't working.

"What?" The familiar female voice I am accustomed to hearing, asks agitatedly from beside me.

"Nothing." I reply; not interested in starting a conversation at this moment. I don't really want to take my anger out on Tenten.

"That better have been meant for Lee." Tenten's voice takes on a warning tone.

"Who else?" I grunt; I can feel my anger continue to grow, despite my attempts to quell it.

"Get up." I feel Tenten move beside me. In moments, her hands reach up to my shoulders, as she gently pushes for me to move.

"What are you doing?" I ask; opening my eyes to look at the kunoichi.

"Just shut up and move." Tenten orders, as she indicates for me to move my back away from the tree trunk.

"What for?" I ask; though, I comply, even before she gives me any explanation.

"Quit being so impatient." She scolds. I'm not sure if that was meant in reference to my anger at Lee, or as a reply to my question; but I suppose it doesn't really matter.

"Hn." I move to allow her to slide in behind me. If anyone else but Tenten had been the one to speak to me in that manner just now, I would have pummeled them to the ground; but I suppose Tenten is allowed a few privileges that most others are not.

"You're too tense." Tenten comments, as she gently begins pressing down on my shoulders with her firm hands.

"Hn." As if to confirm her statement, I feel my body further tense.

Even though I commonly feel her hands on me, they are usually gloved, and it is generally only during sparring matches. To feel her ungloved hands gently massaging my neck and shoulders now... well it just feels strange. They're surprisingly softer than I would have imagined, given that she is constantly using them to hold harsh and heavy metal. One would think they were rough and blistered; but they're not.

"You've got a lot of knots." She tells me, as she slowly begins applying more pressure to the muscles on my shoulders.

Her movements are structured; systematically rotating her thumbs as she kneads, rubs, and squeezes the tense muscles on my shoulders and neck.

"How's that feel?" Tenten asks, as she begins using her fingers to apply pressure on certain spots I know to be located above my chakra openings.

"Hn." I groan in response.

It really does feel good. Her fingers move in slow circular strokes over the chakra points in my neck; deeply relaxing the muscles and tissue around them. The circular movements, coupled with the sweet smell of jasmine and cherry blossoms that always seems to surround Tenten, is starting to have an effect on me. I can feel my muscles relaxing, as the tension slowly begins to melt away. My eyes feel heavy; I can hear my breathing grow shallower.

I never realized her hands could be this skilled at something other than wielding sharp weapons. Her hands have always been surprisingly different from other people. Though she has slender fingers, her hands are larger than most other girls; civilian and kunoichi alike. Compared to my own, they are still small, but to call them petite would be a far stretch of the word. I remember she once told me that her hands were perfectly suited for a weapons master. The dexterity of her long nibble fingers allows her to better maneuver her various weapons; not to mention, allowing her to utilize them at much faster speeds than most other shinobi, and with much deadlier precision.

I remember having been entranced with the movement of her fingers, the first time I saw her spin a kunai in her hand. It had twirled at an unprecedented velocity; the blade never touching her skin. Lee had been so amazed he began hounding her to teach him how to do it. In the end, he had been unable to replicate her movements; and though I had only observed her instructions, I later found that I too was unable do it. It had been at that point that I realized the truth about her; she had been born to be a weapons master. From the lightness of her petite body, to the elegant design of her slender hands, purposefully designed for wielding weapons; fate had decided she would be skilled with the art of weaponry. Since then, I never imagined her hands as anything more than tools made for gripping metal; but now I can see how wrong I was.

"Hmm." A soft moan escapes my lips as she lengthens her slow circular strokes, kneading deeper into the muscles, and her hands begin moving lower onto my back.

"You should really consider getting massages more often." Tenten comments as she continues her ministrations. "You've got a lot of tension in your shoulders and back. It's not good to walk around like this."

"I don't like other people touching me." I reply, as she gently pushes me forward; leaning my body onto my knees, to allow her better access.

"Well what exactly do you think I'm doing?" she answers back.

"That's different." I respond; my eyes feel too heavy to keep open. The new position I'm now in further serves to sooth me into a drifting sleepiness. I can feel myself calmly falling into slumber's embrace.

"Exactly how?" Her soft voice echoes form afar; or at least it seems that way to me.

"Because it's you." I hear myself say.

"What does that matter?" Tenten asks; her voice still seems so far from me, but I can feel the warmth of her hands pressed against my back telling me how close she really is.

"I…" My voice comes out tired, as I feel myself drifting deeper and deeper into a semiconscious state. "don't mind…" My words are dragging themselves out, as my breathing continues to grow shallower. "you… touching me."

"Well, I guess that makes sense." She replies.

Even though I can't see her, I know she just shrugged. The pressure her hands have been apply momentarily lightened, but I know she didn't remove them from my back; I can still fell their warmth through my shirt.

"Since we're always training together, you're probably just used to my touch." She adds, before continuing to knead the palms of her hands into my lower back.

"No." My drowsy voice responds. "I… enjoy… the feel, of… your touch."

"…"

At first it didn't hit me until I felt her hands abruptly remove themselves from my back; taking their warmth along with them; but now that it has, I suddenly feel wide awake. The calm and drowsy feeling I had been experiencing until this point is now quickly forgotten, as my entire body suddenly tenses; but this time for a completely different reason then it had been before.

I hadn't meant to say those things. Really, I didn't even realize I felt that way until the words escaped me. Though I am unsure as to what 'that way' even means.

Do I like Tenten? I have always thought of her as a good friend, an amazing sparing partner, a talented kunoichi; but could it be that I have feelings for her?

How is that possible? I have never before looked at her as a female. She has always just been my friend Tenten. Tenten with the enormous collection of weapons; Tenten with the terrifying propensity for blowing things up. Tenten, the girl who has always supported me; who always cheers me on, and makes me smile when I am feeling down. Tenten whose sweet laughter is so infectious I could never feel anything but utter joy and peacefulness when I hear the pure melodious sound. Tenten, whose whole face lights up when she smiles; who …

"Oh dear Kami." I mumble under my breath; still frozen stiff in the position I took after I jolted up when my mind grasped the full meaning of the words I said to her.

My head feels like it is going to explode. When in the world did this happen?

"Um…Neji." The quiet voice of the girl I just realized I care for, softly spoke from behind me.

"Ten-" I begin; turning to face the girl in question.

My heart is beating abnormally fast. I can feel myself grow warmer. There's a tingling; electic sensation shooting up and down my spine, and something odd in the middle of my stomach. A choking sensation in my chest. I'm not sure what to make of this. A part of me wishes the earth beneath me could just open up and swallow me whole. This is all that stupid…

"LEE!" Tenten jumps up from the forest floor, standing to greet our new arrival. Seems she's just as anxious as I am.

"I apologies for my tardiness." Lee bows politely to show how remorseful he truly is. "Hokage-sama instructed me to be at her office early this morning, but she was detained, so I was forced to wait. I apologize." He bows repeatedly; clearly repentant for having made us wait.

"It's okay Lee." Tenten moves toward him, stopping him before he can hurt himself with that constant and violent motion.

She is always like that; caring for others is just a part of her nature; it's part of the reason I like her.

I like her…

I realize Lee's arrival is merely a momentary deterrence from the confession I've left floating in midair, but for the moment, I am grateful to Lee. Despite his making us wait, which I will make sure he pays for laterr, I'm glad he showed up when he did. Thanks to him, I now have time to think things over.

When I'm certain… then I'll tell her.

'_Hmph_.' And maybe I can even convince her to give me another massage. She's right; it really does feel a lot better to have tension-free back. And I could certainly get used to feeling her soft warm touch soothing away the tension in my aching muscles. (1)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: I did three new things with this one… (**i**) I attempted a first person narrative; (**ii**) I wrote from a guy's POV (which I hope I pulled off, but I'm not so sure); and (**iii**) I wrote in the present tense… originally it was in the past tense, but I thought it'd work better in present… though I hate writing in present… it's much too complicated sometimes… well, other than that…

Lol… oh I know where this story came from… The two things aching most on me right now are my hands (from all the writing this last month… both in preparation for the exams, and in the actual exams) and my aching shoulders (from carrying my very heavy backpack… and it's been a MONTH since I've carried it, yet they still feel bruised, and knotted... seriously, the muscles on my shoulders are so incredibly stiff/tense, it's not even funny and I've been massaging them, but the stupid knots just won't go away…)

Well, other than that, the original idea for this story was about the hands… A few years back I wrote this poem entitled "My Father's hands" (hehehe, it won me a first place 200 dollar gift certificate for Warehouse music, where I bought myself a bunch of CDs… it won some other stuff too… but 200 dollars worth of CDs… heaven!)… Anyway, I've wanted to write a story based on Hands as a prompt… so, this is the result… **XD**

(**1**)… okay, I TRIED to make that last line as non-dirty as I could… it's not MEANT that way (believe me, if I meant it that way, I could have done so much worst! lol)… but alas, it wouldn't cooperate with me…


	44. Peace

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: This is a requested fic... A bit on the short side, but it works I think. (it's still over 1K words, so it's not like it's a drabble).

**WARNING**: ANGST AHEAD… I'm tell you guy's now because I know a lot of people PM-ed last time and told me they didn't like reading angst… so if you were one of those, I'm sorry, feel free to skip this chapter… I promise I'll update with a happy fic soon.

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – This shot is dedicated to **animefreakoO**, who emailed a request for a story around her poem. (**T.T** I'm sorry I changed the poem… :_**runs off to hide in shame:**_)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**PEACE  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_White Dove, left in anguish.  
In vain, his bitter cry unheard.  
Tears spilling in remorse;  
The name that echoes in his soul,  
A girl who fought for peace and freedom.  
But in these days, no one free;  
And nothing is peace._

(**1**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

World Domination.

That was what they had been after from the start. Even without the nine-tailed fox, Akatsuki had made its final move for world conquest. With the power of the other eight tailed beasts on its side, many of the other shinobi nations had quickly sided themselves with Akatsuki. The only ones who dared to oppose the organization were Konoha and Suna. But even with their numbers and the strength of their shinobi, two ninja villages standing alone, were little challenge to the armada the enemy commanded.

Not in its entire history, had the shinobi world seen such destruction and chaos. The three ninja wars before it had scarcely prepared humanity for what that fourth ninja war became.

Entire villages were slaughtered; ninja and civilian alike. The enemy did not discriminate against the elderly, the sick, or the children; all were equal victims of its reign of terror. The world cried out in cold desperation as its occupants slowly perished. One by one, village by village; all falling pray to the ambitions of a greedy few.

And for what? For power? For glory? For revenge?

The world was ending. Crimson streets echoed with the piercing screams of the dieing. Rivers turned red, as rotting bodies lined their banks. The world cried in blood soaked tears, as flames engulfed the forests, leaving ash and barren wasteland in its wake. There was little time for goodbyes, as the few who fought against it, left their villages; certain that they may never see their homes again.

Still they persisted, and eventually, took their final stand.

The darkness of the day was due, not to the hour at which the final battle took place, but as a testament of how far into the abyss they truly stood. It had been one of many plans, carried out simultaneously throughout the battle fields of war; but it had been one, and only one, that resulted in that fatal blow.

The enemy was overconfident. They believed that they could no longer be defeated; but they did not expect that the dreams and desires of a few can ultimately change the tide. Fate seemed to be in their favor, as the dozen or so ninja from both villages put their plan into motion. They were fortunate to have been the group who met up with the main platoon. With their opportunity at hand, the leader of the Leaf took action.

If but for one miscalculation, the plan would have failed miserably. But one ninja spotted it in time; making the ultimate sacrifice, the leaf ninja was able to provide an opening for the Hokage to deal the final blow. And what an attack it was. There was no denying that the nine-tails was indeed the most powerful of all the beasts.

And the enemy fell. Soon, the weary warriors were able to return to the homes they believed they would never see again.

"Daddy." The voice of a small child called up to him; bringing him back from those dreadful memories.

"Hn?" Her father turned down to face the doe eyed little girl.

"Where's mommy?" She innocently asked.

'A better place' didn't seem like the appropriate answer to reply to a three year old. How could it be a better place, for a mother to be anywhere other than at her daughter's side? "Mommy can't be with us anymore." He tried explaining.

"Why?" The little girl asked; confusion in her pale eyes.

"…" He wasn't sure he knew the answer to that question. It was the very same question he had been asking himself since the moment he saw her run into the enemy's clutches; giving the Hokage his opportunity to take down the enemy.

"Is she coming back?" The little girl asked her father; tears were beginning to well up in her large lavender eyes.

"No." No. She wouldn't be coming back. No matter how many times he wish it weren't true; how many times he replayed her final moments in his mind, wondering what he could have done differently… no matter what… she wasn't coming back.

"Did I do something wrong?" Tears began slowly trailing down the little girl's small face.

"NO!" He emotionally responded. Dropping down to the ground, he swiftly pulled his daughter into his strong arms and repeated. "No. You didn't do anything wrong." He reassured her. "Your mommy loves you, more than anything in this world."

And that was the truth; the answer to it all. She loved their daughter so much that she died, not for village, and not for the world, but for _her_. She had given her life, so that their daughter might one day see a world free from the warring state she had been born into; so that their daughter would know peace.

"Then why isn't she here?" the little girl whispered into his long dark hair as she openly wept in her father's arms. "Where is she? Why did she leave?"

"Your mommy…" he began, unsure as to how he could explain it to such an innocent child. "Your mommy went away to heaven."

"Heaven?" the little girl looked up into the gray sky above her. "What is she doing up there?" she innocently asked.

Trying to smile as reassuringly as he could, he looked down into her tear filled eyes. "She's watching over you." He told the little girl. "She'll always be watching over and protecting you. Just like she always did. And do you know why?" he asked.

Shaking her head no, the little girl waited patiently to hear what her father would say.

"Because she loves you very much, and all she wanted was to protect you and see you smile. She always loved to see you smile; and so do I." Seeing her smile up at him, he kissed the little girl's forehead before pulling her back into his embrace.

"I love you daddy." She whispered into his chest.

"I love you too." He replied, as he held her in his arms. '_And I love you too Tenten._' Neji thought as he looked up into the heavens, swearing to her and to himself that he would protect their daughter; and he would make sure she would live a life full of happiness and peace, just like her mother wanted her to.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: ahhh… I'm going to cry… I honestly was not in an "angst" mood, so I had no idea how I was going to pull this request off… but apparently vacuuming inspires me because as I was cleaning my room, this idea just popped into my head… and then 2 hours later (record time too) it's done! I like it… it's… so sad… I want to cry… I didn't even give the little girl a name, and yet I still want to wrap my arms around her and tell her everything will be okay… and Neji too… ahhh… **T.T** … So emotional now… okay I'm gonna go to bed now… **_:tear.tear:_**

(**1**) I "tweaked" the poem to better fit the story… I don't suggestion anyone ever send me a poem, because I'm a horrible, terrible, mean person who changes them **:'( **… and then I feel guilty the whole time after…

So to ease my guilt some, here's the original poem:

"_The white doves' cry was heard in vain.  
As it say there, in remorse.  
It's name meaning freedom and peace.  
But these days, no one is free and nothing is in peace."_

**REVIEW… please and thank you**


	45. Giving Up

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I had to put this one here fast because the last one was killing me… it was just that one line "Did I do something wrong?" I kept replaying it in my head… **: : ..**_Please read special note at bottom._

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – **BleedingHeartHeiress-v2.0**… You've reviewed since way back in chapter 1… though I think you joined us around chapter 10 or something like that. You are among one of the few that I can almost always except to hear from and I REALLY appreciate it. Thank You so much for all your support, I hope you like this chapter. **XD**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**GIVING UP  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"So what is it this time?" A lazy voice pulled Tenten's attention up from the board she was staring at.

"Huh?" She looked up at Shikamaru who was sitting across from her.

It was weird, after being sent on a mission together, the two ninja had somehow become good friends. To most, it probably made no sense to see the lazy chauvinist genius, and the energetic bubbly feminist as good friends, but somehow it worked. Shikamaru concluded it was because he found her to be less "troublesome" than most, while she probably found that he wasn't as sexist as he portrayed himself to be. True, he considered most women troublesome, and he had a misogynist idea of what a woman '_should_' and '_shouldn't_' be and do; but what he said and what he did, more often than not, contradicted themselves. That fact was most clearly evident in his unfortunate infatuation with a certain sand kunoichi, whom he had deemed as "the most troublesome woman to ever exist."

"You've got that look." Shikamaru simply stated.

"What look?" Tenten stared at him questioningly.

"That, 'I'm about to become very troublesome and cry because Hyuga's too stupid to realize he's in love with me' look." Shikamaru indifferently explained.

He knew it would sometimes irritate her that he knew her so well, but over time, she had grown to expect it; he was a genius after all.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Tenten denied, before moving her eyes down to the board game; contemplating her next move.

"Don't play dumb." Shikamaru replied. "It doesn't suit you."

"I thought you didn't like talking when we played Go." Tenten tried to change the topic. (**1**)

"I don't." Shikamaru nodded. "But usually you put up more of a fight than this." He motioned to the board that was covered in his white stones. There were very few places left on the board, and most of her stones were already surrounded; there was little chance of her winning this one; not that she ever won any of their matches. (**2**)

The sound of a sigh escaped her lips; he had even given her the black stones so she could play first, but even with that, she had fallen behind. "So what then?" Tenten put up a confident front. "Are you saying you're only friends with me because I actually present a challenge to you in Go?"

"No." Shikamaru automatically replied.

"…" Tenten waited; staring him down the way only one who had been exposed to many Hyuga glares could.

"Although you are a lot better then most." Shikamaru continued; completely unaffected by the glare, having already faced the real thing a few times himself.

"…" Pouting, she gave up glaring at him and returned her eyes to the board. "Hey, wait!" she looked back at him angrily. "By 'No' you meant…"

"You're pretty smart." Shikamaru smirked; knowing she had figured out that he was referring to her not presenting much of a challenge, and not as to why he was her friend.

"Coming from you…" Tenten sarcastically began.

"For a girl." Shikamaru cut in, knowing it would annoy her.

"… You little…" Tenten angrily glared.

"You're so easy to read." Shikamaru once more cut her off.

She was probably the only girl Shikamaru purposefully teased in this manner; after all, despite her propensity to stick sharp objects into people, she wasn't the type to fly into a sudden rage like most of the kunoichi he knew. Shikamaru reasoned this was no doubt due to the fact that she was used to dealing with high stress situations. (**3**) If he ever teased Temari or Ino that way, he was certain he'd end up hospitalized for a year; although teasing Temari was fun in its own way, but it had to be more tactfully done.

"You're lucky I'm used to arrogant geniuses like you." Tenten huffed, before returning her gaze back to the board in front of them.

"Well, you've had a lot of practice." Shikamaru agreed; the smirk still firmly planted on his face.

"Can we just keep going?" Tenten tried to shift the topic away from her team.

"What's the point?" Shikamaru grew serious; he didn't like seeing his friend so miserable. "You've just about lost anyway."

"So?" Though she agreed with him, he knew she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of admitting defeat so easily.

"So why not just give up?" Shikamaru replied.

"Tsk." Tenten scoffed. "When have you ever known me to do that?"

They had played Go many times in the past, with the results always being that Tenten would lose; but that never stopped her from trying again the next time. And of course he knew this time would be no different.

"Isn't that what you're doing right now?" Shikamaru replied in a serious tone.

"No!" Tenten angrily glared up at him. He could tell she was having a hard time understanding what it was he was talking about. Shikamaru reasoned it probably made no sense to her that he would assume she had given up just because she hadn't made a move in over five minutes… Though, it _**was**_ somewhat unusual, especially given that she would normally act much quicker; often impulsively.

"Oh?" Shikamaru met her eyes with his. "It certainly looks that way." He informed her.

"Ffh." Tenten rolled her eyes. "Have you ever known me to give up?"

"…" Shikamaru chuckled at her response.

It was true, she never did give up on any of the matches they had played; that was part of the reason he enjoyed playing with her. She was unpredictable; her movements were erratic and impulsive, yet they worked. She would attack from all sides of the board, never having a prepared plan until there was enough information on the board for her to use his plans against him. It was an unusual technique, and would probably never work on the battle field, but at the same time, it was this skill at improvising that made her a force to be dealt with.

She would never be a team leader, her tactics weren't organized enough to allow that; she just wasn't the 'plan ahead' type. But her skills at improvising made her a great second in command; her insight into the present moment was better and quicker than most. While Shikamaru tended to take his time developing a well thought out plan, with as many possible back ups, in a heated battle, if something went array on the plan, it would be someone like Tenten who would carry out the mission; quickly and in her own creative way. He supposed that's why she was so often paired up with the 'geniuses'; they could plan ahead, and she could react within the moment; it was a prefect combination.

"You usually face everything head on." Shikamaru stated. "But this time it looks like you're retreating into a corner." He replied; looking at her and not the board.

Tenten looked down at the board again. Her pieces were scattered throughout the board; not a single corner belonged to her, as he had already taken them all. In an instance, he saw her face light up, as realization finally hit her. "Maybe I'm just cutting my losses." She replied.

"Isn't that the same as giving up?" Shikamaru asked; knowing she had finally understood his true meaning.

"Well," Tenten stared down at the unchanged board. "Sometimes there are more important things than winning." She responded, trying to sound as disinterested as possible; no doubt in hopes that he could just drop the subject.

"Such as?" Shikamaru pressed on; despite being was aware that she didn't want to.

"Self preservation." Tenten replied without thinking. "In a real battle, if the odds were staked against you this badly," She continued; moving her hand toward the board as if she were still just talking about the game. "A smart troop leader would know when its time to call back her men."

"A smarter one would wait until all the spaces were taken before deciding if the battle was really lost." Shikamaru replied; finding it ironic that they were each taking the other's usual position in this particular analogy.

"But if you know the enemies tactics, and you know your own abilities, even with empty spaces, there would really be no point to waiting it out and risking a vital hit." Tenten reasoned.

"Victory always involves some kind of risk." He agreed with her, but nonetheless, he wasn't prepared to lose this specific battle. "If you're not willing to play to lose everything, what's the point in playing at all?"

"Hmph." Tenten looked up bitterly at the lazy genius. "I don't see you making any moves." She replied.

"It's not the right time for me to move yet." Shikamaru replied; ignoring the obvious attack she had just flung at him. "Besides, _**I'm**_ not giving up."

"If you don't move, isn't that as bad as giving up?" Tenten repeated his earlier argument to him.

"No." Shikamaru shook his head.

"Oh? And why is that?" Tenten waited for him to continue.

"Because I have no intention of giving up." Shikamaru responded. "I'm still thinking about my next move, while I wait for it to be my turn."

Shikamaru watched as she sighed, knowing she had lost that argument. "So then, what would you suggest I do?" she asked; turning her gaze back down to the board.

"That's your choice." Shikamaru also turned down to face the board. "But I do know one thing; you only have a chance if you keep playing."

"Fine." Tenten picked up a black stone from her pile and placed it on a cutting point, taking three of his white stones.

"Good move." Shikamaru complimented, before proceeding to move his white stone outside a large group of black stones, successfully taking the whole group.

"I thought you said I still had a chance!" Tenten yelled out. She was too easily flustered; a disadvantage when playing Go.

"You knew you would lose." Shikamaru replied.

"Yeah." Tenten scoffed irritatedly.

"And yet you played anyway." Shikamaru continued.

"Yeah." Tenten rolled her eyes; wondering what he was getting at.

"Because that's who you are." Shikamaru reasoned.

"Yeah…" Tenten's tone softened as she finally began to understand what he had been trying to get her to realize all along.

"So why give up now?" Shikamaru lazily looked up at her.

"It's not a game." Tenten replied in a hushed tone; her earlier discomfort seemed to slowly be returning to her.

"It's the same in battle." Shikamaru pressed on.

"Even when there's no chance?" She timidly whispered.

"Never stopped you before." Shikamaru pointed out.

What he said was true; she was not the type to give up on anything. Not just in their games of Go; but in everything she did. Even if she knew she would lose, it was in her nature to keep going. As many times as she had played against Shikamaru, or sparred against Neji; never winning at either, she never gave up.

"You're right…" Tenten agreed. "but…"

"And who knows, maybe there is still a chance." Shikamaru shrugged.

"Isn't that what you just said?" She looked down at the board pointedly. "And yet I still lost."

"I did." Shikamaru nodded. "But we both know I wasn't talking about that game." He looked up, staring past her. "And I'm willing to bet you've got a very good chance."

"Huh?" Tenten cocked her head to the side; staring at the lazy genius in confusion.

"Hello Neji." Shikamaru greeted the aforementioned jounin walked up to them from behind Tenten.

"Shikamaru." Neji nodded to greet the younger shinobi. "Hello Tenten." He greeted her.

"Neji." Tenten turned in the direction of her teammate. Checking her watch quickly, to see how late it was, she turned upward to face the Hyuga. "I'm sorry." She apologized.

"Hn." Neji remained impassive; his outward appearance betraying nothing of what he thought within.

Shikamaru observed the older shinobi. Even as stoic as he portrayed himself to be, Shikamaru was certain his assumption of Tenten's chances were accurate. There had already been many instances in which he had confirmed the Hyuga's feelings for the girl; most of them, unfortunately, involving death glares directed at him from said jounin.

"Looks like we went longer than usual." Shikamaru directed himself at Tenten; though he continued to carefully watch Neji out of the corner of his eye. "Maybe you should have given up." He suggested; purposefully avoiding the emphasis on the 'should' so that the meaning of his sentence wasn't as obvious to an outsider.

Just as Shikamaru expected, an angry aura surrounded the Hyuga as he stepped forward to glare at the lazy ninja. "Tenten does NOT give up." He firmly stated.

Smirking, Shikamaru turned toward Tenten, who sat in shock at witnessing her crush come to her defense. Of course he knew she had known what Shikamaru meant, but from the look on her face, Shikamaru could tell she hadn't expected this kind of reaction. It almost made the risk of having Neji pummel him worth it; not that he thought the Hyuga would. He had after all, considered the most efficient way to phrase his statement, while at the same time avoiding anything that would get him into any serious trouble.

"You're right." Shikamaru quickly agreed with Neji. "And I don't think she should start now, don't you agree Neji?"

"Hn." From the look on his face, Shikamaru could tell Neji had realized there was something else going on, but he was certain the Hyuga didn't know what it was. "Lets go." Neji told Tenten, before beginning to walk out of the Nara compound.

"Right." Tenten got up from the wood floor boards where she and Shikamaru had been playing. "Thanks Shikamaru." She smiled down at Shikamaru before quickly giving him a soft peck on the cheek and running off after Neji.

"Yeah." Shikamaru brought his hand up to his cheek, suppressing the urge to blush. "Thank Kami he didn't see that." Shikamaru sighed, before throwing himself on the floor to lie down and stare at the sky. That had been a very troublesome conversation, but he was grateful it hadn't turned into something far worst, had the Hyuga witnessed that kiss. He was already pretty sure he was on the Byakugan-user's shit list; he didn't need anything else to push the Hyuga over the edge.

'_SIGH_' Shikamaru closed his eyes in frustrated concentration. "That woman's becoming much too troublesome."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: ahhh… I noticed did a lot of POV flip-flopping, so I tired to fix it and put it all in Shika's POV… I really liked it… I LOVE ShikaTen fics… mind you, Tenten belongs with Neji and Shika belongs **to** Temari…. (sorry ShikaIno fans), but I like the idea of a Shika and Tenten friendship… there is this one fic that I absolutely adore with them… **First** by **Wielder of Paper Clips** (I've seriously read that story at least a few dozen times… I love it SO much… in fact, I'm going to go read it again right now…)

Anyway, I hope you liked this fic… it's been on my mind for a while to have Neji play shogi with Shikamaru, but then, somehow I ended up changing it to Tenten… and from shogi to go… lol… but at least I kept Shikamaru… **XP**

Oh and in case you didn't get it, the whole time, they were talking about Tenten giving up on Neji. Although, if there's anyone out there who didn't give it, I'm going to go jump off a bridge because I thought I did a good job paralleling their talk to encompass both the game, and the NejiTen relationship… and well, battle and war (apparently I'm still stuck on the previous chapter a bit. **XP**)

KEY:  
(**1**) I know it's usually Shogi that Shika is playing, but he does like Go too.  
(**2**) I got this book a few months back that teaches you how to play various board games… among them is Go. It's pretty interesting, but it looks very time consuming. Then again Chess can be somewhat time consuming too… but at least with Go, my head doesn't get stuck thinking in L shapes… agh… I hate the Knight SOOOO much… I seriously find myself WALKING in an L shape every time after I play chess. And I've been playing since I was elementary school, you'd think I would have outgrown that by now… :_**sigh**_:  
(**3**) :_**cough**_: Team Gai :_**cough**_:

**REVIEW, please and thank you! XD**

* * *

_Special Note_

* * *

_I'm just letting you all know... it might be a while before I update this collection... no worries, I'm still going to be updating, but last night as I was brushing my hair (seriously, weirdest moments "inspire me" XP) I came up with the rest of the chapters for W&D... so I'm going to be focusing on that story so I can finish it and start on the GaaraTentenNeji love triangle (which I've got pretty much planned out... inspired as I was packing up my law books the other day... seriously...so weird)._

_**Thanks for understanding... and don't forget to go check out **_**Wind&Dragon**_** (those chapters did originate from this collection after all).**_


	46. Closet Cleaning

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Hey, I'm back. Just wanted to let those of you who don't already know, that W&D is finally done (though I will be making a sequel since I LOVE RYOKU SOOOOO MUCH)… Anyway, I took a few days off from fanfic to clean out my closet… which is what inspired this shot… unfortunately.. well… read the warning.

WARNING: This is a great example of when one should just drop an idea that's clearly not working… unfortunately, I'm the stubborn type (as evidenced by footnote 1), so regrettably, I give you crap!... but no worries… next one will be so much better and hopefully posted very quickly to make up for this horrible chapter… (the title was about the only thing I found amusing)...

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_**  
CLOSET CLEANING  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Why am I doing this again?" Neji asked as he pulled another box out of the packed closet in Tenten's room.

"Because it's become impossible to open my closet without something falling on me." Tenten explained for the umpteenth time.

"Yes, but why am **I** doing this?" Neji emphasized the point he was trying to make.

"Because I told you if you helped me, I would help you train on that new jutsu you're developing." Tenten explained, before diving into the gap Neji had just made when he removed the box.

"You would have done so regardless." Neji pointed out; again wondering why it was he had agreed to help the kunoichi clean out her closet.

He vaguely remembered grunting some sort of refusal when she arrived at the training field and began pulling him to her small apartment. After much begging on the girl's part, he had eventually relented, figuring it would be quicker with two people; and he really couldn't train without her anyway. Truth was though; Neji could never really deny her anything. Regardless of the request, he always found himself doing exactly what she asked.

"Ok…" Tenten's feet where the only visible part of her, as she continued pulling out smaller boxes; somehow managing to keep the remaining stacks from toppling over and crushing her in the midst of her mess. "Well then how about I make you dinner when we're done?" She suggested from inside the closet.

"Do you even know how to cook?" Neji seriously asked.

"What?" Tenten's feet excitedly wiggled. "Do you think anyone who grew up without parents, eats nothing but ramen or something?"

"Hn." Neji grunted; smirking at the indirect jab at their annoying blond friend.

"Whatever." Tenten groaned; even though he couldn't see it, Neji was certain she had just rolled her eyes at him. "For your information, I CAN cook; and very deliciously at that!"

"Hn." Neji couldn't help but chuckle at her last comment; after all, everything Tenten did, she claimed to do 'very well'; not that he would argue. Because she put her whole heart and effort into anything she did, Tenten usually _**did**_ do everything very well. "Fine." He gave in. "You may cook me dinner."

"Okay then!" Tenten's feet disappeared for a moment as another box was pushed out toward the Hyuga.

"Tenten, is that really safe?" Neji asked, concerning her decision to go into the closet to pull out some of the boxes furthest in, while a number of other boxes teetered over head. He was certain if she continued, the surrounding boxes could easily collapse and fall on top of her.

"That's why I needed someone else to help me." Tenten reminded him. "This way if anything falls, I can yell out and know someone will hear me."

"Would it not be preferable to avoid falling objects?" Neji dryly pointed out.

"Neji!" Tenten's muffled voice sounded annoyed when she said his name; without a doubt she had rolled her eyes at him again. "I told you already, the stuff in the back is older, so it's probably the stuff I can most easily get rid of. Therefore it would make the most sense to pull that stuff out first and throw it away then to have to spend more time on the stuff in the front which I'd have to sort through and decide whether or not to keep." Pausing to take a breath, she continued. "Then by the time we get to the stuff in the back, we'll be so tired, we won't care and just stuff everything back in, which will leave me in the same position again next time I try to clean my closet."

"That logic is absurd." Neji stated; though in its own weird way, he did acknowledge it kind of made sense.

"Whatever, just keep sorting through the boxes Neji." Tenten replied in an mildly irritated tone, before she pushed out another box toward him.

"Hn." He looked at the dusty box.

He still didn't understand why she felt he should be the one to look through all her belongings and decide what she should keep and what she shouldn't. It would have made more sense if he where the one in the closet, pushing out the boxes to her; but Tenten had insisted that her problem was she couldn't get rid of anything, therefore it would be better if someone who wasn't emotionally attached to the things in her closet, decided what was worth keeping and what wasn't. He had tried to argue the point that by that logic, he could easily throw out something that had actual significance, but she refused to listen, and in the end Neji submitted to her request and continued opening box after box.

Considering how disheveled her closet was, Neji was surprised to see that her mess was actually quite organized. The box he had in front of him, like all the others she had handed him, was tightly sealed and labeled.

"Academy." He read out loud, before proceeding to open the box.

Looking inside, Neji found various frames and trophies, all of them clearly awards from various academy activities. Looking through them, he noticed that most of them where the kunoichi equivalent of awards he had won during their academy days as well. As he continued shuffling through the box, he noticed something at the bottom. Lifting everything out, he noticed a class picture from the year they graduated.

As he inspected the picture a little closer, Neji spotted Lee smiling cheerfully at the camera, while Neji sat glumly staring off into the distance. Tenten, who he had not known very well at the time, was sitting a few rows back, looking admiringly at him; like most of the other girls in the picture.

"Hn." Looking at the picture made Neji feel upset, as he remembered something he had been trying hard not to think of.

Back then, like most of the girls in the academy, Tenten had succumbed to the Hyuga fangirl hysteria. However, unlike the rest of the academy girls, Tenten hadn't idolized him because his clan or his appearance; it had been his skill and hard work she had admired. Having realized that by the time they were teammates, Neji had been more tolerant of her school girl crush than he had with most other fangirls; he had reasoned it was admiration for the right reasons, and that she would eventually out grow it.

Sure enough, as time went on, Tenten had outgrown the crush; treating him in the same manner in which she treated everyone else. While at first he had been a little taken aback that she would laugh at his mistakes (not that he made very many), or yell at him when she was mad, or tease him jokingly; Neji had been grateful to realize she was no longer worshipping him in timid admiration, but rather comfortably treating him as a friend. As time went on they became good friends, and indispensable sparring partners. The more he got to know her, the more he became increasingly aware of how different she was from all the other girls. In time, Neji grew to realize how utterly amazing Tenten really was, and how much he enjoyed spending time with her. Eventually he found himself beginning to think rather fondly of her; ultimately realizing that he actually cared for, maybe even loved, her. The only problem however, was that by the time he realized his own feelings, she had already outgrown her crush on him.

"Are you keeping your awards from the academy?" Neji asked; trying to shake the disappointed feelings growing inside him.

"Umm." Tenten's hesitant voice echoed in the closet. "No. You can throw those away." She called back.

"Ok." Neji resealed the box, stacking it with the pile of other boxes meant for the trash.

The next box was labeled "toys". Curiously opening the box, Neji wondered exactly how old it was, and what kind of toys she had saved from her childhood.

"Tenten." Neji looked into the box strangely.

"What is it Neji?" She called out, before pushing another box in his direction.

"When was it you received your first weapon?" The prodigy asked, as he pulled out a silver dagger from the box; the remaining "toys" also of similar characteristic. '_Figures_' he smirked; no longer thinking about his earlier feelings of anguish. '_Only she would label her weapons as toys_.' He chuckled.

"Before entering the academy I think." Tenten's voice called out from the back of the closet.

"Will you be keeping these older ones?" Neji asked; wondering if she really needed any more than the thousands she already owned.

"Probably not." Tenten called out. "They're too old, so their likely not the sealing type; and I don't think I need any more of the kind that I hide in my clothes." She reasoned. "Plus I already have a system with those, and I wouldn't want to mess with it."

"Hn." Neji nodded; a shiver ran down his spine as he considered her last words.

'_Wouldn't want to mess with it._' He repeated in his mind.

It was the same as how he felt about their current situation. As much as he wanted to, he just couldn't bring himself to tell her how felt. All his life, Neji had felt like an outsider; admired by many, but ultimately completely alone. Tenten had changed that for him. She had become the true friend he had never had; losing that would devastate him. As much as Neji hated being 'just friends' he couldn't imagine, not having her as a friend.

'_Sigh_.' Neji resealed that box, placing it in the pile to be thrown out, before moving on to the next one. "Scrapes?" The white-eyed prodigy looked at the container questioningly.

Opening up the box, he was surprised to see a pink knitted sweater at the top. For a moment Neji wasn't sure what it was he was looking at. True, he had seen Tenten wearing pink before, but that had really been more about the style of the shirt being one she particularly favored; typically, however, Tenten often held that she hated the colored pink. So to see something so pink and so girly coming out of Tenten's closet, just seemed wrong. Curiosity winning him over, Neji pulled out the pink sweater to inspect it closer. Lifting it up, he noticed it looked relatively new.

"Ick!" Tenten's voice called his attention, effectively making him pull the sweater back down. Looking up, he saw Tenten already out of the closet as she carried another box over to him. "You can definitely trash that one." She stated; a disgusted expression on her face.

"It looked new." Neji commented, as he placed the sweater into the trash bag next to him.

"Well I've only worn it a few times." Tenten shuttered at some memory the sweater conjured up. "It's cursed!" She explained without further elaboration.

"A sweatshirt cannot be cursed." Neji monotonously replied; inwardly amused at the cute look on her face as she cringed at the sweater.

"It can when it's the pink sweater from hell!" Tenten childishly shot back.

"It's only a sweatshirt Tenten." Neji responded; looking at the bun-haired girl with a mixture of hilarity and incredulity.

"I'm telling you, that sweater brings nothing but bad luck." Tenten repeated. "Every time I wear it, I have the WORST day possible!" (**1**)

"Then why is it you continue to wear it?" Neji asked; trying not to laugh at her childish antics.

"I donno." Tenten shrugged. "I guess I figured no matter what happened, it couldn't be worst than the last time."

"Has that ever been true?" Neji smirked; again amazed at the insanity of her logic, yet completely captivated by the adorable faces she made as she expressed herself.

"No!" Tenten fumed; pouting her lips like a sulky child. "Somehow it's always worst then the last time!"

"Hn." Neji snickered at her answer; only she would continue to subject herself to something just to prove she could overcome it; not that he believed the sweater was actually cured. Shaking the thought out of his head, Neji decided to ignore her silliness for the moment as he proceeded to pull out what was next in the box. "Tenten?"

"Huh?" Tenten looked up to face him.

"This belongs to you?" Neji held up a tiny dark brown mini-skirt.

"Ah." Tenten nodded; not a hint of embarrassment on her face, whereas Neji felt like he could easily melt at that moment. "Yeah, it was a gift from Ino last year. Seriously," she took the skirt from Neji's hand. "The woman's deranged. Can you really imagine me in something like this?"

"Hn." Neji smirked; that was so typical Tenten.

Neji wouldn't deny that the idea of seeing her in the miniskirt sounded appealing, but the truth was, he liked her in training clothes. Whereas most girls would spent hours upon hours dressing themselves up to try and look nice, though usually only succeeding in looking trashy as far as Neji was concerned; Tenten had a natural beauty that made her look good regardless of what she wore, or how much makeup did, or in her case, didn't wear. But he didn't want to think about that. Tenten was his friend; nothing more.

Moving his eyes back to the box, Neji picked up the next object he spotted. "Huh?" he pulled out a pair of shinny black knee-high 6 inch stiletto heel boots.

"Jeez!" Tenten exclaimed as she noticed what he'd removed. "I completely forgot about those." Laughing, she picked up the other pair to the boot Neji was holding. "Honestly, do you think anyone could even walk in something like this?"

"Hn." Neji shrugged.

"But you know…" Tenten looked at the boots carefully. "If I could use these, I'd be as tall as you!" She excitedly exclaimed.

"For what purpose?" he asked.

"To be taller, duh!" This time Neji _**was**_ able to witness as she rolled her eyes at him.

"Hn." Neji chose to ignore the gesture, focusing instead on the task at hand.

He hated it when she rolled her eyes. It was a habit she had picked up in their early years, after she had gotten over her childhood infatuation with the prodigy. Even though he had decided that he would settle with just being by her side; grateful that he could share in the friendship they had, every time she rolled her eyes, it just further reminded him that she didn't see him the way that he wish she would. What frustrated him the most, however, was that he couldn't help but think she looked so adorably cute when she did it.

"What's wrong Neji?" Tenten moved toward him, looking at him curiously.

"Nothing." The prodigy averted his eyes toward the next box. "Is this it?" He asked; wondering if it was the last box.

"No. There's more." Tenten replied. "But I thought we could use a break. I'm going to go get us something to snack on." She added, before getting up to walk to her bedroom door.

"Hn." Neji pulling the box toward him.

It was marked "papers," but as he opened it, Neji noticed they weren't just a stack of papers as he had expected, but rather notebooks organized into three separate piles.

"Are these important?" Neji asked the kunoichi before she left.

"Huh?" Turning to take a look at the contents of the box, she shrugged. "I don't think so. They're just some old journals." She replied, before stepping out to bring them food.

'_Journals?_' Neji looked at the three stacks of notebooks in the box. '_Could that mean…?_'

Curiosity once more winning him over, Neji took the first notebook from one of the stacks and opened it.

'_June 3_

_I met with my team. Gai-sensei decided to train with Lee again, so Neji and I were left alone. We sparred, and I think I almost got a hit a few times. At home, I worked on my target practice. Got 99 out of 100; still not quit perfect, but almost._'

'_June 4_

_I bought a new weapon. It's beautiful, a little pricy, but well worth it. At practice, Neji and I sparred again. I managed to graze him on the arm.'_

'_June 5_

_We've got a mission today.'_(**2**)

Neji stared at the notebook, realizing what he had just stumbled across. It was exactly what he had thought it would be when Tenten had mentioned they were journals, but he had been expecting to read something entirely different then what he found in the notebook.

'_Typical_.' Neji sighed; noting that it was very much like Tenten to actually keep a log in her diary instead of the usual girly entries about clothes and crushes and the like. '_Was I really expecting to see that she still had feelings for me?_' He asked himself.

Shaking his head in frustration, Neji berated himself for being so weak. If it had been anyone else acting like him, Neji would have called them an idiot and told them to just confess. But Neji knew there was no way he could ever do that. Suicide missions, impossible and dangerous jutsu; without hesitation, the Hyuga would face it head on. But when it came to Tenten, he became weak in knees. He couldn't stand the idea of being rejected, much less the possibility that he'd lose the friendship they had.

"Hey!" Tenten smiled as she greeted him from the doorway; a tray of snacks in hand.

"Hn." Neji put the notebook back into the box.

"It's nothing too big; I don't want you to get full before I impress you with my amazing cooking abilities." Tenten chuckled as she said that. "Just something to tide us over until then."

"Hn." Neji nodded; taking a simple baloney sandwich off the tray.

"We don't have very much left to go though." Tenten said between bites. "Maybe an hour or two. There are just a few more boxes in the back, and then we can take a look at the stuff up front."

"Hn." Neji nodded as he continued eating. "I will go in this time."

"Huh?" Tenten cocked her head to the side questioningly. "Why?

"You mentioned that you wanted to look at the boxes in the front." Neji pointed out.

"Oh yeah, that's true." Tenten nodded.

The truth was though, that Neji just didn't want to look at her stuff anymore; the more time he spent going through her belongs, the more memories and painful thoughts kept entering his mind. He couldn't stand it anymore; he just wanted to be done with it.

"Okay, then lets get to it!" Tenten excitedly pumped her right fist in the air, putting the empty tray to the side as she pulled the box Neji had been looking through towards her.

"Hn." Neji rose from his spot on the floor and walked to the closet.

The gap Tenten had been crawling through seemed a bit narrow for someone of Neji's height, but his mind was too distracted to really notice as he made his way through the maze of boxes toward the back. After a few hours the two of them worked out a good rhythm. Neji pushed out boxes, selecting each as if he were playing a human sized version of Jenga, careful not to disturb the delicate balance of the unstable 'blocks'. (**3**)

As he proceeded to pull out the next box, Neji's hand suddenly slipped, causing it to come crashing down. Fortunately because of his super ninja reflexes, Neji managed to prevent the rest of the 'tower' from tumbling down on top of him. (**4**)

"Neji, are you okay?" Tenten yelled out after hearing the fumbling noises coming from the closet.

"I'm fine." Neji calmly replied; a little embarrassed that she had heard.

Kneeling down, Neji began picking up the contents of the box he had dropped. It had been full of books, which had made it unexpectedly heavy for its size. As he finished putting in all the books, Neji noticed a crisp white folded up piece of paper that seemed to have fallen out of one of the books. He wasn't sure why, but something compelled him to pick it up and read it.

'_I have wove an untruth,__  
That I've spun for so long.__  
T'was the folly of youth,  
Where my thoughts all went wrong._

_I pretend that this feeling  
No longer exists; it's an act,  
I am merely concealing  
What my heart knows is fact._

_Though I feign an indifference,  
An airy uncare;  
It's just a pretense.  
Telling you… I don't dare._

_I admit I'm afraid;  
For that which we hold  
Might regrettably fade;  
Grow bitter and cold._

_And then what would be  
Of the "we" that we are  
Should you not feel as me  
Would we lose us, thus far?_

_To myself I have lied,  
For so long; it's an art.  
But I can still hear inside  
The true voice of my heart._

_The whole time, I have loved you  
This I've wanted to tell.  
I wish that you knew  
For you; from the beginning, I fell_.'  
(**5**)

'_CRASH_!'

"Neji!" Tenten ran to the closet; the entire stack of boxes had come crashing down. "Neji? Neji are you okay?" The bun-haired kunoichi yelled into the heap.

"Hn." Neji groaned from beneath the pile; slowly pulling himself out of the fallen debris. "I'm fine." He moaned as he gradually made his way out of the closet; the folded up piece of paper still grasped tightly in his hand.

"What happened?" Tenten asked; a look of concern was pasted across her face as she helped him out of the mess.

"I stood up suddenly and bumped into one of the higher boxes." Neji explained, as he discretely placed the unsent love letter into his pants pocket.

"That's not really like you." Tenten's look of concern still firmly fixed on her face. "Are you feeling well?"

"Actually, I'm feeling hungry. How about we save the homemade dinner for another time, and we go out to eat instead." Neji suggested.

"What are you afraid of my cooking?" Tenten fringed taking offense.

"I am certain your culinary abilities are masterful, but it would take too long." Neji explained; making up that excuse to get them to dinner faster. He feared if he let too much time pass, the courage he had presently gathered might fail him by the time they actually sat down to eat.

"You're that hungry huh?" Tenten giggled. "Okay, let me just change." She began walking toward her bed, where they had set all her clothes earlier.

"Don't." Neji grabbed hold of wrist to stop her. "You look fine."

"I'm in sweats Neji." Tenten motioned her hands up and down as she spoke.

"So?" Neji replied gently. "You always look fine in what you wear." He stated, before proceeding to pull her toward the front door of her apartment, much like she had done when she brought him there earlier that day.

"Eh?" Tenten looked at his back in confusion. "You sure you didn't hit your head or something Neji?"

Neji shook his head happily. She was adorable, and now that he knew she felt the same way he did, Neji was determined to tell her so.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END (6)  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: XP… I apologize… my cracked out mind came up with this as I was cleaning my closet the other day… I wrote it in a few hours, then I spent 3 days "editing" it to actually give it a NejiTen story that I wouldn't feel too ashamed of… But even though I tried fixing it, there's too many things going on at once... i think I just got stuck in the multi-chapter mode that i kind of screwed myself over on this one... oh well, hopefully next one will be better...

You know what though… I had this same feeling about this story as I did for the CHALLENGE one… which I also spent an abnormally significant amount of time working on because I couldn't get it "quite right"… seriously :points to self accusingly: I need to learn to just drop it when I don't feel I'm making any progress… too stubborn though…

FOOTNOTES:  
(**1**) There is SO such a thing as the pink sweater from hell… and for some unknown reason, I STILL can't seem to throw it out… apparently I'm a sucker for punishment… the one good thing to it though, is that after each HORRIBLE day, I have an abnormally GOOD day the next day (lol… why else would I put up with it? **XP**)  
(**2**) Hehehe… that's me poking fun at the cliché diary plotline… seriously, like Tenten would keep a diary?... Then again… poetic love letter?... lol…  
(**3**) Jenge! If you don't know what that is…just what kind of childhood did you have? XP… jk, not sure how popular it may be in other parts of the world, but basically it's a game with some wooden blocks stacked up into a tower formation, in random order… and you have to pull out the blocks one by one without letting the tower fall.  
(**4**) Hehehe… it was two am when I wrote the phrase "super ninja reflexes"… I thought it was kind of lame, but funny at the same time so I kept it… lol.. I blame 2 am if it's not actually funny… **XP  
**(**5**) When in doubt, add a poem and all the yucky-ness seems less yucky… that's my motto… (at 3 am it is!)  
(**6**) eeh… I give up! 3:30 am has come and my eyes are bleeding, thus I am calling it a night… hopefully it's not as puke-tastic as it was earlier today… but if it is, I already know, so feel free to keep it to yourself… as long as I've got it out of my system, I can now concentrate on something else…


	47. 7 Days

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: It's official… I'm insane!... I'm sorry to say that I probably will not be updating as much as I'd like to this summer because, crazy me decided (in the impulsive way only I can) to add another class to my summer schedule (completely forgetting that classes start Monday which means I have 2 days to do the homework for Monday… and I haven't even bought any of my books yet)… anyway… this might be the last one for a while… so I hope you like it. Oh, and as for the GaaraTentenNeji fic I'm going to start, I hopefully will be able to work on it whenever (i.e. IF) I have a break from studying… I want to get that one done, because it's been blocking me from writing anything else (seriously weird case of writers block)… so it'll be my priority for a while, but there's a few one-shots I want to do, so no worries, I will not be abandoning you…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!  
(**incredibly surprised you guys liked that last chapter… but thanks XD**)**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**7 DAYS  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Oh my gawd!" Ino frantically ran up to the Ichiraku Ramen Bar; her pink-haired best friend at her side. "Have you seen Neji today?" She excitedly shouted.

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Chouji shook their heads, indicating that they had not seen the Hyuga prodigy that day.

"You're never going to believe this." Sakura grabbed hold of Naruto's hand and began pulling him out of his stool; Ino similarly began dragging her two teammates.

"What's going on?" Naruto asked; extremely disappointed that he had been pulled away from his ramen before he'd had a chance to finish, yet at the same time elated that the girl of his dreams was holding his hand.

""Just wait." Ino wickedly sneered; clearly very excited with what they were about to show the boys.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru mumbled under his breath; allowing himself to be pulled nonetheless.

"Ino…" Chouji whined. "I was still going to order another bowl."

"Chouji, you can eat ramen any day." Ino shouted at the large boy. "But this…" Her angry face suddenly back to its previous elated expression.

"This is once in a life time thing." Sakura finished for her blond friend; the smile on her face equally matching that of Ino's.

"This had better be good." Naruto mumbled; he too shared in Chouji's pain.

"Oh, it is." Ino assured them.

The two girls eagerly pulled the boys toward the outskirts of the residential area, near the Inuzuka household.

"What are we doing here?" Chouji asked confused.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Naruto's sudden outburst caused everyone to turn in the direction the blond loudmouth was pointing.

"Yeah." Ino and Sakura gleefully nodded.

"…" Shikamaru and Chouji stood dumbfounded; repeatedly blinking their eyes, as if that would somehow make the scene in front of them make more sense.

Standing before them, in the courtyard of the Inuzuka house, were Kiba, Hinata, Shino, Akamaru, Lee, Tenten, Neji, and a horde of screaming fangirls. But the reason behind Naruto's reaction was what Neji was doing. Covered from head to toe in soap suds, a shirtless Neji was attempting to restrain a very wet Akamaru, as the rest of their friends watched, laughing at the prodigy as he struggled with the oversized dog. (**1**)

"HAHAHA. Good one Akamaru!" Kiba laughed as his best buddy flipped a large bucket of water onto one very pissed off Hyuga.

"It's a good thing we made you take your shirt off, huh Neji?" Tenten tearfully laughed as the white-eyed shinobi venomously glared at her, before turning back toward the tied up dog.

"DO NOT GIVE UP NEJI-KUN!" Lee excitedly cheered his friend on.

"Shut up Lee." Neji growled at the spandex-clad boy.

"What's going on?" Shikamaru asked as the five other ninja walked up to their friends.

"Neji-nii-san is trying to give Akamaru-kun a bath." Hinata explained.

"Yeah, we can see that…" Naruto's laughter prevented him from continuing.

"But why?" Sakura finished for the boy.

"Ten…ten…" Kiba tried explaining, but the hilarity of the situation wouldn't let him speak either.

"Neji and I made a bet," Tenten began explaining. "And the loser had to become the winner's slave for a week."

"And Neji obviously lost." Shikamaru deduced.

"Yeah." Tenten giggled as she watched Akamaru tackled Neji to the ground.

"But…" Chouji watched the scene curiously. "If he's _**your**_ slave, why is he washing Kiba's dog?"

"Oh that…" Tenten calmed herself to speak. "The first day, I made him polish all my weapons, and on the second day I made him clean my house wearing a maid's uniform…" she tried suppressing her laughter at the memory of day two. "But after that, I couldn't think of what else to do, and I remember Kiba mentioning he needed to give Akamaru a bath today…"

"So, Tenten offered to have Neji do it." Kiba finished, before he and Tenten burst into laughter at the memory of Neji's reaction when he had been told what his next assignment was.

"And Neji-kun has preformed as expected of an honorable leaf shinobi." Lee proudly exclaimed. "Keeping to his word and performing every task our precious flower has set before him."

"So what are you going to have him do next Tenten?" Sakura asked; ignoring Lee's outcry, though he hardly noticed, being too busy cheering his rival on as the Hyuga fought to get the upper hand.

"I'm not sure." Tenten shook her head; a large smile firmly fixed across her face.

In front of them, Neji had finally managed to get a hold of Akamaru, but only for a brief moment, before the frantic dog began chewing on the prodigy's pants and the Hyuga found himself with the choice of losing all his clothes or losing the dog.

"If you keep doing that Akamaru, you'll end up killing the fangirls." Tenten shouted out to the oversized dog; momentarily containing her laughter.

Holding onto his pants, Neji angrily glared at the bun-haired kunoichi, before returning his attention to the dog. (**2**)

"So you still have 4 more days?" Ino asked; the smirk on her face clearly indicating she had some devious schemes in mind.

"Yeah, but aside from having him cook for me, making him call me Tenten-sama, clean my house, and fill out all my mission paperwork for me… I really don't know what else to do." Tenten confessed to her friends.

"Oh I can think of a few things…" Ino lecherously smiled.

"Ino…" Shikamaru spoke his teammates name in a warning tone; he knew her well enough to know what the girl was thinking. (**3**)

"What?" Ino fringed indignation. "She's already got him shirtless…"

Ignoring the blond, Shikamaru turned to face Tenten; somewhat reluctant, he decided to give the girl a piece of advice; hoping at least _**this**_ kunoichi wasn't as troublesome as the other one, and might actually listen. "Have you considered what will happen when the seven days are up?"

"…" Tenten stared at the lazy genius for a minute; here eyes blinking rapidly as she thought over his question. "Good point." Tenten nodded. "He'd be mad no matter what, just because he lost, so I might as well take advantage of the opportunity, and make his revenge on me worth it!"

"'Atta girl!" Ino cheered. "So here are my ideas…"

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END **(**4**)**  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

FOOTNOTES:  
(**1**) The fangirls of course, were greatly enjoying the fan-service.  
(**2**) Fangirls would die of a massive nosebleed **XP**… Total fan-service moment… lol… **  
**(**3**) Of course we all know what she's thinking… lol  
(**4**) I know you hate me… but seriously… this scene was the story… it ends where it ends because it's up to YOU the reader to determine what Tenten would have made Neji do… lol…

**A/N**: okay, okay… I'm not THAT evil… I MIGHT continue this story… if I can come up with a good enough chapter… I had a bunch of things I wanted to include in this story… such as Ino and Sakura making suggestions like having Tenten make Neji give her massages/pedicures; Naruto naively (or suggestively) wondering what Neji would have had Tenten do if he had won the bet; or Tenten asking Neji what he would have done had he won the bet (and the ending would have been… oh who am I kidding, I'm so doing a second part to this… lol)… but of course, the second chapter will be a little different… this one was the humor, next one will be the fluff (with a side of humor)… so here's where I invite you wonderful readers to **suggest WHAT SHOULD TENTEN GET NEJI TO DO?** (Please remember this is a pg-13 fic… not M… so… no lemons… I don't dare do those yet… and I'm not sure how many people would actually be offended, so I'll stick to what I do best… unending fluff **XP**).

OH... and in case anyone's curious as to why i didn't title this "SLAVE"... well I didn't want to give it away right from the start what Ino and Sakura were so excited about... but the second part will likely be titled SLAVE... **XP**

**REMEMBER TO REVIEW… please and thank you **(lol… so glad this one was SO much better than the last one…lol)

* * *

_ATTENTION! ATTENTION!  
May I have all your eyes and ears to the front of the room…_

_( :;:starts singing __The Academy is…__:;: )… Hehehe…_

* * *

Neji's birthday is coming up… July 3rd… (6 days before mine!... _:;:ahhh:;:_ … dagger to the heart!.. I'm getting old _:;:sob:;: _) and that will make this collection officially 1 year old!! So… as a tribute to both the 1 year mark of this story's running, AND Neji's birthday, I will definitely (hopefully) write something… I'm excepting suggestions/ideas/requests for a story for Neji's birthday… I DO have some guidelines though…

1. I don't like repeating myself, so if it's something I've already done… not going to do it

2. "Tenten sings happy birthday to Neji" is not very helpful… she's going to do it anyway… (probably)

3. "Everyone forgot his birthday, (except for Tenten)" is a bit cliché… give me more than that to work with and I might consider it…

4. … In fact, in general, cliché and me… just don't work…

umm… what else?... can't think of anything else right now, but yeah… so send your ideas!! **XD**

**ALSO** for Friday the 13th… if I can, I might put something up… lol… Homage to my 2nd chapter which was a Friday the 13th fic also (July 13th 2007)… lol… any suggestions, send them my way!

_And wish me luck on not going insane… cos… I'm going to need it… _

* * *

ONE LAST THING... NEW FANART FOR THIS CHAPTER... CHECK OUT THE PROFILE... there's a link to "**neji fanservice**")

* * *


	48. Tenten's Slave

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: OMG… school starts tomorrow… 11 hours… 10 to 9… aggggggghhhh… I'm so going to die… anyway, before I do, here's the second part… it's not what I expected when I said I'd write a second part… but I couldn't come up with anything else, so really, I just sat down and started writing… hope you like it… (_Shadeehue_, now you SO have to do a Neji-slave fic… and you better include an actual loin clothe scene...lol).

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**Dedication-**_ To _ChristinaAngel_… ha-ha… it's so funny… I actually started the fic before I got your review… but it so coincided I just had to dedicate it to you **XP**… And thank you for all the reviews… much appreciated **XD**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**TENTEN'S SLAVE  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Tenten." Neji calmly called out the kunoichi's name.

"Jeeze." Tenten angrily growled.

"Tenten." Neji once more tried to capture the girl's attention.

"That woman!" Tenten stomped furiously through the forest; completely oblivious that Neji had been calling her name for the past five minutes.

"Tenten." He calmly repeated; following closely behind the irritated kunoichi.

"She's worse than Kiba!" Tenten continued venting her frustration.

"Ten-"

"Scratch that." Her left hand shooting up as she yelled. "She's worst that Naruto."

"Te-"

"No! Kakashi!" Tenten continued. "Jiraiya!"

"Tenten!" Neji firmly called out; stopping them both in their tracks. (_**1**_)

"WHAT?!" Tenten abruptly yelled as she turned back to see why she had stopped moving.

"We have been walking for over twenty minutes." Neji calmly explained; choosing to ignore the fact that she had just yelled at him. "I don't believe anyone is following."

"Oh." She looked around tentatively; trying to figure out exactly where it was they'd ended up.

"Tenten…" Neji called back the girls attention.

"Huh?" She turned to face him.

"Do you mind?" Neji's eyes moved down toward their joined hands to indicate he wanted her to release the crushing grip she had on his hand.

"Aha." Tenten gasped at realizing what she'd been doing. "Sorry." She smiled apologetically, before letting go of his hand.

"Hn." Neji gently began rubbing away the pain in his hand; his eyes quietly observing the guilt-ridden kunoichi. "I take it Yamanaka-san did something to upset you?" Neji calmly remarked.

"Well…" Tenten bit her lip nervously. "It's not so much something she did as something she said…"

"Hn." Neji nodded his understanding; waiting for her to continue.

"Agh, never mind." Tenten scoffed. "Anyway, you're still my slave for another four days, so I have to come up with something for you to do."

Sighing, the tired kunoichi found the nearest boulder and took a seat. They'd only been walking for a short time, but she had been tensely clenching her muscles the whole time, due to the anger she had been feeling; as a result, her entire upper body ached.

"Agh." Tenten groaned; rolling her shoulders back to try and loosing the muscles.

"Would you like me to massage them for you?" Neji passively suggested; referring to her shoulders. (_**2**_)

"Huh?" Tenten leaned her head back to see him standing behind her; her half-lidded eyes looked up at Neji. "Yes please." She whispered gratefully.

"Hn." Neji lifted his hands up to her shoulders and slowly began kneading the tense muscles.

"Aaah." Tenten instinctively relaxed into Neji's bare torso, as he gently stroked his hands up and down, between her neck and collarbone. "You know." She began; her eyes now completely closed as she allowed herself to become absorbed in the sensation hiss hands were creating. "I bet you would have looked good in a loin-clothe."

"Excuse me?" Neji did a double take; he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. '_Did she say loin-clothe?_'

"It was one of Ino's suggestions." Tenten explained.

"Hn." Neji shuttered to think what else the blond kunoichi had suggested.

"Umm." Tenten moaned. "She also suggested I get you to strip and run naked through the village shouting 'I love Tenten' at the top of your lungs." The mental image suddenly made the weapon-mistress giggle.

"You wouldn't." Neji stiffened.

"Would it be that hard?" Tenten opened one eye to observe the prodigy's reaction.

"…" Neji met her gaze with a defiant glare.

"Yeah." Tenten chuckled; closing her eyes as she smiled. "No good." She shook her head. "I'd probably get into a bunch of trouble with the Hokage if all your fangirls suddenly died of massive nose-bleeds."

"Hn." Neji tired not to laugh at the girl's awkward _complement_.

"Although for a second, I thought they almost would when they saw you struggling with Akamaru." Tenten laughed at the memory.

"Hn." Neji grunted disapprovingly.

It wasn't that he had cared about anyone seeing his half-nude form, it was the fact that Kiba's dog was enormously heavy that had bothered him; not to mention, Akamaru didn't know how to stand still. If Neji had been able to use his gentle fist on the dog, it would have been a different matter, but Tenten had warned him not to hurt the 'little-guy' (as she put it), so Neji had been forced to deal with a oversized-hyperactive puppy… To use Shikamaru's word; it was _troublesome_.

"Fine." Tenten giggled; knowing all too well what the Hyuga was thinking. "Well, if you won't do that, maybe I'll just have you build me a monument."

"With what purpose?" Neji asked; still rubbing her shoulders.

"You know," Tenten softly replied. "Like that one foreign emperor did for his wife. That big white marble dome thingy." She moved her hands in front of her; creating an outline with her fingers of the place she was attempting to describe. (_**3**_)

"You do realize what you are referring to is a mausoleum?" Neji pointed out. "He built it to enclose his wife's tomb in."

"Oh." Tenten paused. "I didn't know that. I just thought it was pretty."

"Hn." He had figured as much.

"It's still a sweet gesture though; don't you think?" Tenten bent her head up to look at the prodigy.

"I suppose." Neji shrugged.

"Huh… well," Biting her lip, as she once more paused to think. "But would she really have wanted to wait until she was dead for the world to know how much he really loved her?" Tenten wondered out loud. "It would have been better if he'd demonstrated his love long before that, don't you think?" she looked up at Neji again.

Understanding, he looked back at her seriously. "Would you like me to run through the village naked to prove my love?" Neji smirked down at her.

"Ok, no." Tenten shook her head. "You're right."

She giggled at the thought of how much trouble that would be. Not to mention, she didn't exactly want everyone to find out about them that way; much less did she want his pesky fangirls seeing Neji naked.

Tenten sighed. "It's not like I could be sure that it'd really kill off all your fangirls anyway." Pausing, the kunoichi focused her eyes as she concentrated on a solution. "What if I had you walk around with a sign saying 'Property of Tenten, back off!' that might work."

"I'd rather run through the village naked." Neji mumbled under his breath.

"Stupid Hyuga pride!" Tenten muttered.

Of course he would pick a brief moment of embarrassment over having his male ego bruised by having others think of him as someone else's property… But if Neji thought he was going to get away with that, he had another thing coming…

Spinning around on the boulder to face him, Tenten pointed a finger up at the prodigy. "Oi! You're MY slave for the rest of the week, so you have to do what I tell you!"

"Hn." Neji leaned down to meet her face; placing both arms on either side of her, he smirked challengingly. "And when the weak is over?"

Never one to back down from a challenge herself, Tenten returned his smirk. "You're right." She laughed. "What was I thinking? You're my slave every day."

"…" Neji's eyebrow rose questioningly, as he prepared himself to protest.

Suddenly, wrapping her arms around his neck, Tenten surprised him by pulling Neji to her; forcefully pressing his lips down on hers. In mere moments, what started out as a battle for dominance gradually became a softer, more caring, deep and passionate kiss between the two secret lovers.

"Umm." Tenten smiled happily as they slowly pulled apart.

Somewhere along the kiss, they had fallen off the boulder and on to the grassy floor below; with Neji leaning over her, using his right arm to support his body so that he wouldn't crush her with his weight.

"Tenten?" Neji whispered; affectionately moving stray lock of hair from her face.

"Huh?" The kunoichi looked up at the Hyuga; a glazed expression in her eyes.

"What was the suggestion that made you so mad?" Neji finally asked; having been curious, from the start, what Ino could have possibly said that was worse then the loin-clothe and running-naked suggestions.

"…" Tenten blink repeatedly; his question had caught her by surprise. "Well that wasn't why I was calling her a pervert though." A blush quickly colored her pale completion; understanding what Neji was after.

"Oh?" Neji smirked; he was determined not to let her off the hook, especially at seeing the warmth that had risen on her face at his question. What could it be, he wondered, that would make her desire to torture him less of a priority? "Well?"

"shesuggestedcuttingoffallthehair." Tenten incomprehensively mumbled.

"Hn?" Neji waited for her to repeat it more clearly.

"SHE WANTED ME TO GET YOU TO CUT OFF YOUR HAIR!" Tenten shouted.

"That's all?" Neji looked down in surprise.

"Yeah." She whispered; sounding an awful lot like a timid child to him.

Sitting up beside her, Neji stared off into the distance; he wasn't really quiet sure what to make of that. He'd been expecting something worse. Sure, it wasn't like he would have wanted to cut his hair; after all it had taken him forever to grow out. It was also a Hyuga tradition; a symbol of their clan's status and pride. But it was just hair.

"Tenten?" Neji turned back to the kunoichi, who had also decided to sit in an upright position.

"Yeah?" She moved over closer to him; stopping just as their knees touched, at a slight angle to better face him.

"Why?" Neji didn't elaborate further; it wasn't necessary.

Looking down shyly, Tenten softly replied; a vulnerable tone to her voice. "I love your hair…"

"…" Neji chuckled softly; a half-smile brightened his face. Leaning forward, he sweetly pressed his lips to hers; lightly kissing her. "I'll wear the sign."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: Awwww… the fluff… lol… Show of hands, who expected me to go citrus-y with this one? (_:.:RAISES HAND:.:_) Me too!... lol… As soon as the massage started, that was SOOO the way I was expecting this to go… but like I said… I don't do lemons (I do hints of citrus scents, but no lemons)! Anyway, so resisting that, I did this instead… I thought it was cute **XD** (it really really was… at least in my head it was…lol… makes me feel a little better about going to school tomorrow… I can check out all your reviews when I'm bored in class, on my handy-dandy laptop... that is slowly murdering my shoulders... sad... it's only 5pounds)

FOOTNOTES:

(**1**) And right after I said I didn't like repeating myself… I go and repeat myself… hehehe… but not really (since it's not really a repetitive storyline), just the whole "Tenten" "Tenten" "Tenten" (which Tenten totally not hearing)…  
(**2**) There was no way… it just seems unnatural to have Neji suggest it, but at the same time, it seems to odd for him to just walk up to her and start massaging… This line alone pretty much set the direct of the whole fic for me.  
(**3**) The Taj Mahal…

**REVIEW… please and thank you **(oh and I'm so going to add another Neji-fanservice fanart to my DA account).

_UP NEXT: well, school... but after that, I'm going to start on the GaaraTentenNeji fic (finally!) and then I might do a friday the 13th fic in this collection... and then I'll start on the sequel to WIND AND DRAGON (which I've actually already got a rough idea for)... this is going to all take a while though... for this collection though, for sure I'll have a Neji-birthday fic up by July 3rd... but I'm hoping to be done with the GTN one before then so there should be other fics up before the 3rd... but we'll see... _**SIGH**_... of course all that is assuming I survive tomorrow... agh..._

* * *

_ONE MORE THING!!_

* * *

I'm thinking about changing my Penname (I.Heart.Hatake.Kakashi seems a bit long… plus I'd actually like something that would clearly identify me, as opposed to just my obsession with Kakashi… Plus, I'm thinking someday I may branch out past Naruto… and I'd like a less limiting penname… if that even makes sense **XP** ), so if you would be so kind, please go check out the poll on my profile and help me decide, or send me a PM (I have too many choices **XP**)… thanks!


	49. No Such Thing As Bad Luck

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I seriously wrote this in 2 hours, so… I hope it's good… finished it around 4 am… because I couldn't get to sleep… Hope you enjoy it… have a lucky Friday the 13th!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_DEDICATION_: To _xOx-aShl3iGh-xOx_ (I hope I spelled that right)… it isn't quiet "everything going wrong"… but it's close… lol. Enjoy! And thanks for the prompt.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**NO SUCH THING AS BAD LUCK  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

A looming shadow stood firmly at Tenten's door; effectively blocking her only way out.

"Neji!" Tenten gasped at the sight of her boyfriend. "What are you doing here?" She nervously inquired. "I thought we were supposed to meet at the training field."

"We were." The Hyuga confirmed. "However, I assumed you had no intention to show up today."

"What makes you say that?" Neji watched as Tenten nervously shifted her weight; clearly feeling uneasy under his watchful eyes.

"You're not wearing your training gear." Neji pointed out; eyeing her blue striped silk wrap halter top, fitted white cargo cropped pants and strappy sandals.

"Neither are you!" Tenten replied; noticing he was dressed in a light blue long sleeve dress shirt (which he had decided to roll up and cuff at about the three quarter length), over a white t-shirt, light wash denim jeans, and running shoes.

"Hn." His grunt and expression telling her he was only dressed that way because he knew she wouldn't show.

"How?" Tenten was a smart girl, she knew there was no point in pretending; he knew her too well for it to work.

"The 13th." Neji replied; remembering how she had eluded him many times in the past on that day.

Friday the 13; in her mind, an unlucky day. Neji was certain she had been planning on hiding somewhere for the day, just as she had the year before. Back then, they hadn't been dating yet; he had yet to confess his feelings for her. Just the same, they had spent nearly every day together, so to have her randomly go missing one day, immediately made him suspicious about her whereabouts.

After deciding to look for Tenten at her apartment, Neji had found her hiding in her room. He had demanded that she come out and train with him (mostly wanting to spend more time with her), when she conjured up some excuse about being on her period. Naturally, that had sent the prodigy (like it would any other boy his age) running for cover. However, that excuse wouldn't have worked this time. Not only was Neji not the type to be done in by the same trick twice, but now that they were dating, he was intimate enough with her to know when she was and wasn't experiencing her menstrual cycle, (a necessary piece of information for any boyfriend who desired to avoid a most painful experience, should he find himself the target of a girl's wrath on those days); he was certain this was not that time. (**1**)

"I know you think it's silly." She pouted cutely. "But I'm serious Neji!"

Tenten walked away from the door, moving over to her small living room; Neji following closely after; remembering to shut the door behind him. He tried not to laugh at her. It was endearing how childlike she could be at times; but at the same time, Neji couldn't understand how she could possess such naive notions.

"There is no such thing as bad luck." Neji matter-of-factly stated. It came out a little harsh; though that was not how he had intended it to sound.

"Fine." Tenten huffed; tossing herself gently onto the pale green loveseat sofa in her living room. "But I'm not training today." She stubbornly insisted.

"Hn." Neji calmly took the seat next to her.

"I mean, just think…" Tenten continued. "What if my aim is off and one of my weapons accidentally hits you? Or if, I can't control or stop one from veering into your blind spot? Or what if your kaiten leaves a gap open and one of my weapons gets through?"

"…" Neji cocked his head to the side; raising his brow in a questioning manner. Why was it that in all of her scenarios only HE ended up getting hurt?

"I can't risk it!" Tenten firmly shook her head; closing her eyes in the process. "You can't make me!"

"Very well." Neji replied; knowing from the start there was no way he would have convinced her anyway. "There will be no training today."

"…" Tenten's eyes flew open in surprise. "Really?"

"Hai." Neji nodded.

"Oh, thank you Neji!" Tenten threw her arm around him; happily embracing him in gratitude.

"However." Neji could feel her instantly tense at the single word. "I will prove to you there is no such thing as bad luck."

"…" Tenten pulled her self back; her hands still touching the sides of his arms. "What do you mean?" She warily asked.

"…" He had already been expecting her to be nervous; from the look on her face, he was certain she was not going to like the idea of leaving her apartment very much. "We will be going on a date." He informed her; it had been the only thing Neji could think of that might induce her to leave the small apartment that day.

"Ummm…" He could see her hesitance; that was a good sign, it meant she was considering it. "I don't know…" she nervously chewed on her lip.

"Hn." Neji waited; knowing that if he did anything to pressure her, she would immediately reject the whole idea.

"Couldn't we just stay in?" Tenten suggested; looking up at him with a doe-eyed expression he could barely resist.

"You were already planning on going out when I arrived, were you not?" Neji observed; trying to ignore the quivering lip that he often found himself yielding to.

"Yeah…" She returned to biting her lower lip nervously. "But that's different."

"How so?" He furrowed his brow questioningly.

"I was just going out to find a safe place to hide."

"Do you not feel safe with me?" Neji questioned; turning the conversation back in the direction he wanted it to go.

"That's not it." She shook her head. "It's just…"

"You cannot persist being afraid of a day Tenten." He knew addressing her by name would make her take the matter more seriously.

"Ok." Tenten slowly nodded. "But if one instant of bad luck hits us, we immediately come back here, agree?"

"Agreed." Neji nodded; certain that nothing bad would happen; after all, there was no such thing as 'bad luck.'

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"This is nice." Tenten smiled cheerfully; hugging onto Neji's arm.

"Hn." He smiled down at her; enjoying the feel of her warm body pressed up against his side.

It was rare that they took time off for training; even rarer still when they actually went out on dates like a normal couple. But as they walked the streets that day, Neji found himself thinking it was rather pleasurable; perhaps they would do this more often.

"Can we eat breakfast there?" Tenten pointed toward a quaint little tea house that was as famous for it's pastries as it was it's exotic teas.

"Hai." Neji nodded; guiding them toward the small tea house.

"This place is so cute." Tenten smiled as she looked around admiringly.

"Hn." Neji watched the girl survey the small establishment; enjoying the view of her sitting in front of him, more than the charming decor around them.

He had been half disappointing that the small tables had the chairs on opposite sides of each other; which mean he couldn't have her at his side. But in the end, Neji decided that as long as he could see Tenten's cheerfully face, it didn't matter if she wasn't leaning into him, like she had when they were walking over.

"Neji!" Tenten gasped.

"Hn?" Neji shook himself back to alertness; wondering why the kunoichi had yelled out.

"Quick," Tenten grabbed his hand from across the table. "Grab some and toss it over your left shoulder, that should counter the bad luck." She instructed, before placing his hand on the pile of white crystal substance on the table; apparently he had absent-mindedly spilt a shaker of salt.

"There is no such thing as bad luck." Neji insisted; refusing to do as she had suggested.

Suddenly, something hard bumped into him from behind. Time seemed to go into slow motion, as his trained eyes carefully watched the waitress' tray topple over. Normally, Neji would have caught it instantly, but for some reason his reflexes must have taken the day off as well, because he didn't react; as a result, the hot tea the waitress had been carrying, came spilling over onto his chest and left shoulder. The scalding sensation only momentarily began to sting, before he felt a chilling liquid poured down his shirt, effectively cooling his burning skin.

Looking up, Neji saw Tenten with two large empty glasses aimed at him. It seemed as if her reflexes had immediately moved her to take the soft drinks off of their neighbors table, pouring them straight onto Neji, to counter the hot tea's heat.

"Thank you." Neji was grateful it had not turned out far worse.

"I told you, you should have thrown that salt over your shoulder." Tenten stated as they walked out of the tea house.

There had been many worried shouts and apologies after the incident with the tea. It had been too much for the Hyuga's patience to handle; so after accepting the owner's apologies, and a complimentary box of exotic teas, the two quickly left the establishment, eager to leave the madness behind.

"Tenten, this was an accident." Neji replied. "It had nothing to do with my spilling that salt."

"That's what you say." Tenten replied. "But why did it happen immediately after that? Huh?"

"Coincidence." He confidently asserted.

"Whatever." Tenten shook her head incredulously. "I still say we should just go back to my apartment and wait for the day to end."

"Hn." Neji closed his eyes wearily. "There is no such thing as bad luck." He insisted.

"Ahh." Tenten suddenly stopped walking; gently tugging Neji to a halt as well.

"What now?" Neji opened his eyes.

Before them, a few yards ahead, a black cat stood staring directly at them.

"Maybe…" Tenten began suggesting they take a different route.

"No." Neji cut her off; knowing exactly what her superstitious mind was thinking.

"But Neji…" Tenten looked up at him pleadingly.

"I will prove to you, there is no such thing as bad luck." He released his hold on her hand, and slowly began approaching the feline.

"But…" Tenten worriedly bit her lip as she watched him walk up to the cat. "Neji look out!" she shouted, just as a loose tree branch came crashing down on the unsuspecting prodigy.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"You know…" Tenten's voice echoed in his head, as Neji slowly opened his eyes to the blindingly white ceiling above him. "For someone who's always believed in fate, I don't understand how it is you don't believe in luck."

"They're two entirely different matters." Neji groaned; his eyes were beginning to adjust to the brightness of the room.

"Oh?" Tenten questioned; he could feel her hand pressing something cold onto his forehead as he lay down on what appeared to be a bed. "How so?" She asked.

"Fate is the predetermined course of each individual's life that is decided before we are born, and ultimately leads us to our destiny; while Luck is something people see in the day to day occurrences of their lives." Neji replied.

"I don't get the difference." Tenten looked down at him pensively. "Give me an example."

"How can I give an example of something I do not believe in?" Neji replied.

"Pretend." Tenten insisted.

"Fine." Neji sighed. "I'll try."

"That's all I ask." Tenten smiled down at him; that smile of hers always sent tingling jolts down his spine.

"Hn." Neji closed his eyes in concentration, as he tired to think of something. It was proving a lot more difficult than he imagined. "Let's see…" He paused. "Take for instance, our team." Neji wasn't sure if his reasoning was accurate; but he had just received a blow to the head, so he figured, no one would really expect him to be at the top of his game. "If I were to believe in luck… for me, being placed on a team with someone like Gai-sensei or Lee… might have been considered a matter of bad luck."

"That's kind of mean." Tenten furrowed her brow at his statement. "Where does that put me?"

"On the other hand," Neji continued. "Being placed on the same team with you, was a matter of fate."

"…" Tenten thought both statements over in her head; unsure of exactly what he was trying to say. "I still don't see the difference. Why would one be luck, and the other fate?"

"Like I said," Neji sat himself up on the bed; just then realizing she had somehow managed to bring him back to her apartment after the incident with the cat. "I do not believe in luck. Meeting Gai-sensei and Lee was just part of what happens on the path of life which leads to our destiny; this is something some might consider luck… good or bad is a question of preference..." Neji moved closer toward the kunoichi, gently cupping her chin in his hand as he brought their faces within a few inches apart. "Whereas meeting you," He paused to smile at her. "Was my fate, because you _**are**_ my destiny." Lightly brushing his lips to hers, Neji slowly began kissing Tenten tenderly.

Childish, naive, or foolish notions aside, the woman drove him mad; but in the most wonderful of ways. If he were a man that believed in luck, he would definitely consider himself a lucky guy for having had the weapons mistress fall in love with him. One thing he was certain of; in his life, as long as she was by his side, there was no such thing as bad luck.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

FOOTNOTES:

(**1**) By "intimate" I didn't actually mean sexually… I meant it in the "familiar" sense…

**A/N**: I was going to go to sleep like four hours ago… but… mom kept calling from her hospital room, so I just kind of stayed up waiting for the next call… and somehow ended up writing this in 2 hours… first call she mentioned that they're not going to do her gallbladder surgery today after all… and I was wondering why… then it occurred to me… Friday the 13th… lol… people are so superstitious.

Anyway, not sure if the fate/luck thing worked in the end (lol… Neji was knocked out, so it's his excuse… mine? IT IS 4 am already… I'm sleepy… lol)

Also, I had been planning on having a whole bunch of other bad things happen to Neji, but I guess I went easy on him and only had two bad things happen… lol… plus after being knocked over by a tree branch, I kind of felt it would be like kicking a guy when he's down…(literally)… lol…

**REVIEW!! Please and thank you…**

_**OH!! I Started the NEJITENTENGAARA Fic (titled WHAT IS LOVE?), please check it out. XD THANKS!!**_


	50. Precious Flower

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: 50 chapters!! Wow… well, I was going to wait and make the 50th chapter the BIRTHDAY fic, but I just had to write this… The last few days I have been suffering from the WORST cramps ever… (sorry if that was too much info, but… if THAT made you squeamish, you might not want to continue…lol) anyway, I remembered a "request" (err, suggestion) about doing something like this (eek, 10 chapter ago!)… and here it is (FINALLY!)

_WARNING_: crack-tastically insane!...lol… KAKASHI! Oh how I love him (FYI seems the voting indicates you all think I should keep my penname… lol… guess so)

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – Midnight Memories!! Lol.. I didn't realize when I told you about this fic that it was YOU who had suggested it in chapter 40!...lol…

* * *

_ONE MORE THING… just wanted to thank everyone who sent warm-wishes and happy thoughts for my mom… she's all better. Her surgery went well and she's home again XD… thank you all!!_

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**PRECIOUS FLOWER  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Gai-sensei! Gai-sensei! Gai-sensei!" Lee anxiously yelled as he ran up to Konoha's green beast.

Gai, who had just challenged Kakashi to yet another pointless 'battle', turned to face his young student. Kakashi was aware that Gai's team had only been together for a few months, yet from the appearance of the boy who was running up to them, it seemed to the masked man that Lee had already developed great admiration for his jounin sensei; so much so that he had begun to dress like him, and even recently cut his hair to match Gai's.

"What is it my youthful apprentice?" Gai loudly shouted; much to the displeasure of the silver-haired jounin, who had been standing right next to Gai, with his uncovered right ear very near the loud man's mouth.

"Gai-sensei!" Lee panted after reaching the two elite jounin.

"Is there something wrong Lee-kun?" The masked shinobi inquired from behind the orange book he had been reading while Gai babbled on about… something.

"T-T-Tenten-san!" Lee huffed; his training with Gai had been helping with his speed, but he was still far from where he should have been. Kakashi imagined Gai probably took a liking to the young boy, which was why he passed the boy to the rank of genin.

"TENTEN-CHAN! Something's wrong with Tenten-chan?" Gai worriedly exclaimed.

"Gai." Kakashi's drone tone designed the concern he too was harboring. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions."

"You must come!" Lee grabbed hold of his sensei's wrist. "Quickly! Tenten is injured."

"Injured?" Kakashi looked up from his book. "Hn."

It wasn't odd for ninja to get injured during their training, but usually it was nothing severe; definitely nothing serious enough that Lee couldn't have moved his female teammate and taken the girl to get help instead of going in search of it. Even though the boy didn't look like very much at the moment, Kakashi had thought Lee would have enough sense to realize at least that much.

'_Well, he is Gai's student_.' The Copy-nin reasoned; perhaps common sense was another thing the boy lacked.

Swiftly, the three shinobi headed toward the training field Gai had reserved for his new team. Gai and Lee seemed deeply concerned about the welfare of the team's kunoichi, while Kakashi was more or less not interested in the matter himself. The mask shinobi was fairly certain that if in fact there were something wrong with the kunoichi, it was likely not as serious as the overly-dramatic duo believed it to be.

In the end, however, Kakashi decided to follow them on their 'rescue mission', due in part because Gai's knowledge of medical ninjutsu was rather limited and ineffectual. Kakashi wasn't training in medical ninjutsu either, but having had a medic-nin on his squad when he was younger, he knew a few things that could come in handy during an emergency. (**1**)

"TENTEN-CHAN!" Gai loudly yelled, as soon as the three of them arrived at the clearing.

"…" Neji and Tenten turned to face the three new arrivals.

From what Kakashi could see, it did not look like the girl was injured; in fact, it appeared as if the pair had been in the middle of a sparring match. With his earlier suspicions confirmed, Kakashi was about to leave when he suddenly noticed the kunoichi slightly wince; her hand quickly reaching for her lower abdomen in the process. Curiosity, and a sneaking suspicion that something incredibly amusing was about to happen, convinced Kakashi to stay.

"What's going on?" Tenten asked as she and Neji walked over to the three shinobi. "Did you need something Gai-sensei?"

"Tenten-chan!" Gai rushed up to the girl; crushingly embracing her, as tears of relief streamed down his face. "I am so glad to see that you are unharmed."

"Eh?" Tenten stiffened; not yet used to having such a melodramatic sensei. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Lee-kun informed us you were hurt." Kakashi disclosed to the two saner members of his friend's team.

"…" Neji turned questioningly between Lee and Tenten; apparently trying to piece together what was going on.

"LEE!" Gai released Tenten; turning angrily toward his younger duplicate. "YOU LIED!" he crossly accused the bowl-headed boy.

"No Gai-sensei." Lee denied; shaking his head vigorously.

"I am so disappointed in you Lee." Gai's anger was quickly replaced by a dark cloud of depression; further affirming Kakashi's belief that the man was insane (or at the very least bi-polar). "To think, my precious student is a liar!" Tears of sorrow poured down his face.

"Maybe you should let the boy explain." Kakashi offered; not so much because he cared about what was going on, or because he cared that his friend seem to be taking something so small that seriously; and it certainly wasn't because the boy in question had a look on his face like he'd just been stabbed through the heart; the masked shinobi just didn't particularly like it when people cried around him. Really, he just wanted Gai to shut up! (**2**)

"Explain." Neji firmly demanded of the bowl-haired boy.

"…" Kakashi smirked. '_Guess I'm not the only one_.' (**3**)

:S_niff:_ Lee nodded. "This morning…" he began explaining in a broken voice; trying in vain not to cry. "I saw Tenten-san on her way to the training field" he paused to steady his voice. "I was about to greet her, when I noticed that she was bleeding very badly."

"Is that true, Tenten-chan?" Gai turned to face the bun-haired kunoichi; Kakashi could practically see the sparkles and hearts floating around the green-beast, as hope that his treasured pupil might actually have been speaking the truth returned to the green buffoon.

"umm." Tenten pensively looked up into the sky; trying to remember what she had done before arriving in the training field that morning.

"As I recall," Neji interjected. "You were late in arriving this morning."

"Oh, yeah, you're right." Tenten positively nodded her head. "That's because…" her eyes suddenly grew three times their normal size; her face went pale, before a crimson hue crept up her small cheeks, as realization finally hit her.

"Tenten-san!" Gai and Lee worriedly exclaimed as the three male members of the team looked on in concern, as the girl's complexion secretly revealed the truth behind Lee's words.

"…" Kakashi tried not to laugh; aware that the three other men had yet to realize what was really going on.

"What is the matter dear Tenten-chan?" Gai questioned the girl.

"A-ah…" Tenten stammered. "I-it's nothing. I'm fine."

"You do not appear fine." Lee replied.

"Then you must be injured!" Gai exclaimed; approaching the girl to see what was wrong.

"Gai." Kakashi placed his hand on the other jounin's shoulder. "She's fine."

"Huh?" Gai cocked his head; a look of confusion distorting his features.

"…" Kakashi calmly leaned in and whispered something quietly into the peculiar man's ear.

"eh?" Gai listened intently; turning to face the bun-haired kunoichi as Kakashi finished explaining. "OH!" A look of delighted comprehension colored his face. "That is GREAT NEWS!" he excitedly beamed. "Congratulations Tenten-san!"

:_GASP_: Tenten jumped back in surprise. "Ah… wha-?"

"We must celebrate!" Gai cheerfully proclaimed.

"That's not really-" The girl began protesting.

"Nonsense! It is not every day that a girl reaches her springtime of womanhood!" Gai happily shouted.

"Springtime of Womanhood?" Lee repeated.

'_This should be entertaining_.' Kakashi put away his orange book and took a few steps back to lean against the closest tree; crossing his arms as he waited in anticipation of what he suspected would come next.

"Oh Lee!" Gai ran to his favorite student; joyously hugging his younger version. "I apologize for ever doubting your honesty!"

"Apology accepted Gai-sensei!" Lee cheerfully beamed. "But…" his face took on a more serious expression. "What did you mean by 'a girl's springtime of womanhood'?"

"Oh right!" Gai turned to face his two other students, who were apparently brighter than Kakashi had initial given them credit for, as they vainly attempted to escape. "Sit!" Gai instructed the trio.

"Hai!" Lee quickly dropped himself to the forest floor; sitting cross legged as he waited eagerly to hear what his mentor would say. The two other genin also took their seats; though much more reluctantly so.

"Well… how shall I put this?" Gai contemplatively rubbed the end of his chin.

"How about 'when a young girl reaches a certain age…'" Kakashi teasingly offered from the other side of the small clearing.

"Ah yes!" Gai nodded; thanking Kakashi with a thumbs-up. "When a girl reaches her springtime of womanhood, her body begins to experience many wonderful changes."

"Eep." Tenten pulled her hands up to cover her flushed face as her sensei continued on with his explanation on female puberty.

"What kind of changes?" Lee asked from between his two squirming teammates.

"Fufufu." Kakashi chuckled softly behind his mask as he noticed the eager boy pull out a small notebook to jot down notes; his two other teammates desperately looking for a hole to climb into.

"Think of a girl like a precious flower." Gai explained. "When she is born, she is a seed. During childhood she becomes a beautiful rosebud, that slowly begin to blossom once the girl reaches her springtime of womanhood, until she reaches adulthood and attains the maturity of a full bloom."

"…" Kakashi was slightly impressed. Who knew his friend could be so… deep?

It wasn't the conversation the masked man had been expecting (though it nonetheless seemed to be having the desired effect on the two blushing pre-teens), but then again it WAS Gai after all. '_I should have known he would explain things like this_.' The silver-haired shinobi shook his head amusedly.

"During her blossoming," Gai continued. "The precious flower begins to grow faster, her petals become larger, her coloring changes drastically… sometimes she's a blue, sometimes she's red, sometimes she's yellow…"

"You boys should be very careful when she's red." Kakashi snickered. He had known Gai way too long that he was even able to understand the weird man's abstract metaphors.

"Yes, yes." Gai nodded. "For a few days each month, the flower will bleed. At that time, she'll be more delicate then usual. It is best to treat her kindly and…"

"Avoid her at all cost…" Kakashi finished for the man; though he was certain that wasn't what Gai had been planning on saying.

"But…" Lee looked up from his notebook. "Why does she bleed?"

"Ah, well…" Gai tried to think of an answer.

"Because no Bee came by to drop off it's honey." Kakashi suppressed his laughter at seeing the humorous expression of shock on Gai's face, as well as the befuddled looks on the younger ninja. '_Guess they haven't had THAT talk either._' He smirked.

"Why would a Bee leave honey in a flower?" Lee innocently asked.

"T-That's…" Gai stammered. "We should all go celebrate Tenten-chan's first blossoming." He quickly changed the subject, hurriedly urging the three genin to stand and follow him. "You can't come!" he yelled back, before gently pushing the three younger ninja toward the village; leaving a very amused Kakashi behind.

"I'm going to have to remember that metaphor for my own team." Kakashi smirked, before pulling out his favorite book as he began walking over toward the academy. "Well, if these kids pass my test that is…" (**4**).

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

* * *

FOOTNOTES:

(**1**) eh… Kakashi came out a little heartless in the beginning… and at some points throughout the fic, but he's not… in fact there were some hints there that he was just being… well, detached… apathetic… but that deep down he does care (he did go see is something was wrong after all)  
(**2**) SURE… lol  
(**3**) That would be in reference to what Kakashi was thinking about "just wanting Gai to shut up"…  
(**4**) Last paragraph was added just because I didn't feel like it ended right… and then I added that last line thinking, 'am I just going to leave Kakashi in the forest?'… nope, I decided THIS is why Kakashi was late to meet up with Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke the first time they met. **XP**…

**A/N**: hahahah… I LOVE Kakashi!!... His 'commentary' was priceless… Don't even care if that was OOC or not **XP**. It wasn't what I was expecting when I sat down to write this, but it was very amusing (at least to me…lol)

It was a bit difficult coming up with an idea of how to get Gai to give them this "talk" (not quite "the talk" though Kakashi was getting him close to it… lol)… I just imagine that Gai would go into the explanation about female puberty in a flower-metaphor… and hey, this explains why Team Gai (or at least Gai and Lee) refer to Tenten as their teams "PRECIOUS FLOWER"… lol…

**_REVIEW… please and thank you!_**

* * *

ALSO… I will probably not update this fic again until the NEJI BIRTHDAY FIC (July 3rd) because I will be concentrating on **WHAT IS LOVE?** (the GaaraTentenNeji fic I've been mentioning)… thanks for understanding! **XD**


	51. Someone to Say It

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Believe it or not… this was my fifth attempt at the Neji b-day fic… I went through 4 other stories (like, really wrote about 1k words in each story before I got to the point where I said "nope, this isn't going to work" and then had to start over from scratch again). Hopefully it came out well, but just so you know, I will be posting a second birthday fic in "**One shots: HaPpY BiRtHdAy!**" collection story… so keep your eyes open for that one (should be out later tonight, hopefully).

That aside, Woooot! 50 fics (to this story at least) in 1 year! Thanks everyone for reading this far! Here's to another 50 more… starting with ANOTHER July 3rd fic **XP**…

WARNING: Because of the '3 year old speak' I put some of the footnotes in the actual story this time…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – to Neji (because I make him suffer so much in general… but most especially lately in _WHAT IS LOVE?_ )… and to everyone who has supported this collection for a year now! Wow… one year!! THANK YOU!! **ENJOY**…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**SOMEONE TO SAY IT  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

July 3rd.

At a young age, Neji had realized the significance of that day. It was the anniversary of his birthday, but also the anniversary of the day his mother had passed away; leaving him without the warmth and comfort that only a mother could provide.

Normally it didn't bother Neji that he was without a mother; after all, he had never really known her. And what's more, he still had his father, who did care for him greatly. Hyuga Hizashi was a strong man, whom many in the clan respected and admired. Neji had also greatly admired his father. But he had died when Neji was so young, that Neji didn't really get to know him that well.

When his father died, the main house took him in; as was his uncle's duty, being the closest kin Neji had. But because he was still a branch member, no one in his clan really cared much to acknowledge Neji's existence, much less to commemorate the anniversary of his birth. As a result, July 3rd was never really a day of celebration during his childhood. Neji never celebrated his birthday. It was pointless, after all; no one ever said 'Happy Birthday' to him anymore.

But there had been a time, when that wasn't the case at all…

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..  
FLASHBACK  
.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:.._

"Happy birthday Neji-kun." Hizashi warmly smiled down at his three year old son.

"Happy berfday fader." Neji smiled back up at his father; repeating what his father had said, though not quite certain what it really meant. (_Happy birthday Father_)

"No, no." Hizashi amusedly shook his head. "It's _**your**_ birthday, my son. Not mine."

"What is berfday, fader?" Three year old Neji curiously questioned. (_What is 'birthday', father?_)

"It's when a little boy starts becoming a bigger boy." Hizashi attempted to explain as simply as possible. "It means you're a year older today, Neji-kun." He further elaborated, upon seeing his son's confused expression. "Do you remember how old you were before?"

"…" Neji nodded, holding up two fingers at his father.

"And how much is that?" Hizashi questioned.

"won. tuu" Neji carefully counted the fingers on his hand "Tuu!" (_one; two. Two!_)

"Very good Neji-kun." His father grinned proudly; he could tell even at such a young age, the boy was clearly smarter than the average toddler. "And what comes after two?" He asked.

"…" Neji extended another finger. "won, tuu, fwee. Fwee!" (_one, two , three. Three!)_

"That's right, Three." Hizashi chuckled. "You're a very intelligent boy."

"…" Neji smiled brightly at the compliment.

"Let's get you ready then." Hizashi pulled the boy out of bed, carrying him toward the bathroom to get him dressed for the day.

"Waer we gon a go?" Neji asked curiously. (_Where _are _we going to go?)_

"We're going to go see you mom." Hizashi explained.

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:.  
_

"Good morning Hizashi-san." Inuzuka Garou greeted the Hyuga, as the two happened to pass one another in the forest. (**1**)

"Good morning Garou-san." Hizashi greeted his former teammate; not at all surprised to see the wild-man out walking his enormous brown dog. (**2**)

Neji carefully walked over to the fierce looking dog, wondering what its fur would feel like.

"You're daughter sure had grown beautifully." Garou mockingly snickered, as he saw the long-haired boy approach his dog; secure in knowing that his well trained nin-dog would never harm a child.

"Inuzuka." Hizashi threateningly glared; not at all pleased that his 'friend' had just referred to his son as a girl, simply because of the boy's long hair.

"I kid, I kid." The savage-looking man chuckled. "Hello Neji-kun." He greeted the boy, who was busy petting the brown dog's fluffy fur. "You certainly have grown since the last time I saw you."

"Yup." Neji smiled proudly. "I dis mewny ool now." He extended his hand out to show three fingers; the age his father told him he now was. (_I'm this many old now_)

"That's right." Garou nodded. "You're birthday's today isn't it?"

"mhm." Neji nodded.

"You remembered?" Hizashi stared at the man, slightly impressed at the usually absent-minded dogman's recollection.

"Well, Kiba-kun's birthday is in a few days, so…" The man sheepishly replied. "Oh shit!" A sudden flash of terror crossed the man's face.

"You forgot to get him anything." Hizashi correctly guessed.

"Tsume is going to kill me!" Garou exclaimed; panic embedded in his eyes. "Thanks for reminding me. Gotta go, see you later!" The wild man began running out of the forest, before turning back quickly. "And happy birthday Neji-kun!" He shouted before rushing toward the village to buy his son something. (**3**)

"That idiot." Hizashi shook his head. "It's a good thing his kid's a year younger than you, otherwise you might be stuck with a dog-boy of your own, when you join a genin squad."

"…" Neji wasn't sure what his father had meant by that, but he was glad someone else had wished him a happy birthday; and he had really enjoyed playing with the large dog as well.

"Come on, let's get going. You're mother's waiting." Hizashi instructed; grabbing hold of the little boy's hand to lead him to the place where his mother's final resting spot was located.

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:.  
_

Neji kneeled beside his father; his hands clasped firmly together; eye shut tightly as they prayed to his mother's grave.

"She would be very proud to see how well you have grown." Hizashi broke the silence.

"…" Neji didn't understand that either, but smiled up to his father nonetheless.

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..  
END OF FLASHBACK  
.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:.._

That was the last good birthday memory Neji could remember. As he grew older and his father began training him, noticing his superior skills at even that young an age, Hizashi had begun to grow bitter at the injustice of having Neji serve the main house. As a result, Hizashi become more withdrawn; less friendly and kindhearted then he once was. By Neji's fourth birthday, his father had been more consumed by his own hatred and sorrows to concern himself with anything else; something the man later came to regret in his last few days. (**4**)

Since then, Neji didn't care much for birthdays. They were just another day to him. One year older; no reason to celebrate. Not that there was anyone who cared to do so with him anyway…

Well… at least not until…

_**.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..  
**_

"Neji" A light shaking at his shoulder roused the sleeping Hyuga, as a whispered voice called out his name. "Neji."

"Hn." A sleepy grunt escaped the Hyuga's lips as he slowly allowed himself to be roused from his slumber.

"Neji." Tenten continued.

"Tenten." The tired voice called out to her, as the boy calmly opened his eyes; having been prepared for this to happen. "Is this to become a habit of yours?" he asked; remembering that this was not the first year she had snuck into his room in the early morning hours of July 3rd.

"hehehe." The cheerful kunoichi giggle at both his comment, as well as his ruffled bed-head. It was the only time in the day when Neji's perfectly managed (and enviable) hair actually looked normal. "Of course! It's a tradition now." She quickly leaned in to give him a light peck on the lips. "I have to be the first one to say it." She added as she rose off the floor to sit up next to him on the bed.

"Hn." Neji smirked. "I could get used to that tradition." He slid up into a seated position, before pulling his girlfriend back in for another quick kiss.

Yes; for Neji, birthdays were definitely something to celebrate now; especially if he was able to wake up each year to sight of his beautiful girlfriend eagerly waiting to be the first to say it.

"Happy Birthday Neji."

(**5**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

* * *

FOOTNOTES:

(**1**) Garou means hungry wolf. And yes, he's Kiba's dad (an OC).  
(**2**) Yes, I've given them a backstory… lol  
(**3**) Just in case anyone doesn't know, Tsume is Kiba's mom.  
(**4**) Remember, in his final letter to Neji, Hizashi mentioned he regretted having shown his son only his bitterness toward the main house… I kind of weaved that little plotline in here… but for me, he was a good-guy, just got a little bitter at the end… I'm sure the death of his BFF (_cough_Garou_cough_) also affected him… lol… ah, the OC loveliness… I might actually write that story some day… it would be a separate one-shot though… **XP**  
(**5**) yes yes… it's a throw-back to the first chapter in this story… Tenten sneaking into Neji's room so she can be the first to say "happy birthday" **XD**

**A/N**: Well, I hope you all enjoyed this one VERY MUCH because I don't know when my next update _**here**_ will be (**WHAT IS LOVE?** Is taking a whole lot longer than I had expected… and well… finals coming up again… and a paper that I thought was due in 4 four weeks… which turns out needs to be completed by Monday… yeah… good times)… but I will be back… I promise **;)**

* * *

_I POSTED A SECOND PART (sort of) to this one on "**One shots: HaPpY BiRtHdAy!**"..._

**http: / www. fanfiction. net / s / 4122779 / 3 / One shots HaPpY BiRtHdAy**

_If you're interested just take all the spaces out of that, or go click on the story in my profile..._

* * *


	52. Mint

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: ICY HOT is GOD!!... omg, my hands have been Killing me lately… worst then before… So much so I've seriously been at the point of tears a few times… and worst, my already horribly miniscule sleep is being deprived even further… so I resorted to sports tape…which helps… but is very uncomfortable as far as typing and stuff… so yesterday I went and bought some Icy Hot… omg!! So wonderful… pain all gone… okay my hands smell a little weird… but WHO CARES!... hahaha… XP… yay for icy hot!!

WARNING: slightly (okay, totally!) crackish… lol

_**Now on to the story… again,**_

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – This shot is dedicated to ME from ME… because I deserve it! **XP** Happy birthday to me!! **XD**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**MINT  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Summer in Konoha was always hot. Not just hot; SCORCHING!

At only ten in the morning, even though they had only been training for a little over three hours, the heat had gotten so intense that Neji had suggested to his kunoichi sparring partner, that they take the rest of the morning off. There was no use training in such barbaric heat, he had said. Already, of late, a lot of ninja had ended up hospitalized of dehydration and exhaustion due to the heat; their overly enthusiastic teammate and equally energetic team leader, being just a few of the shinobi too stupid to known when to call it a day.

Of course, just because they were going to take the morning off didn't mean that there would be no training. Neji had merely suggested that the two postpone their spar for a few hours, until the stronger rays of sunlight had passed, and then continue on into the later hours, when training was much more bearable.

"Hey Neji." Tenten called him as he rested peacefully against a tree; meditating as he tried to keep himself cool.

"Hn." Neji opened an eye to look up at the bun-haired kunoichi; indicating to her she had his attention.

"It's really hot." The weapons mistress stated; her heavy panting further emphasizing the point. "Think we could go into the village to get something to cool down with?"

"…" Neji thought a moment.

He really didn't want to get up from his shady spot under the tree; but at the same time, the heat was feeling rather strong. A short trip to the village to get some sort of refreshment to cool himself down with didn't sound all that bad.

"Very well." He replied; agreeing with the kunoichi's request before standing to begin their walk to the village.

"How about some ice cream?" Tenten suggested as they made their way out of the clearing.

"Hn." Neji nodded.

Ice cream sounded good; though he doubted they would be the only ones with that idea, especially on such a sweltering day.

Sure enough, the moment they arrived at the ice cream shop, Neji was not surprised to see a long line of villagers standing around waiting for their icy confection. It took a full twenty minutes just to get their own frozen desert; Neji had been close to saying they should just leave on a number of occasions, but seeing the excited anticipation in the girl's eyes, coupled with the extreme heat, made him reconsider.

In the end, the prodigy was glad he had decided to wait. Opting for simplicity, as he always did, Neji had ordered a plain vanilla cone. Vanilla, he knew, was also Tenten's favorite flavor, but this time she had decided to go with a mint chocolate chip cone instead; stating that since mint generally carried a refreshing taste, the mint flavored ice cream would help cool her down just a little bit more.

"Think about it," Tenten explained. "When you have a mint, doesn't your mouth feel all cool and tingly inside?"

"Hn." Neji failed to see the logic in her reasoning, but decided not to dwell on it too long; he didn't really feel like thinking too hard. As it was, his mental capacities seemed duller than usual; no doubt due to the extreme heat.

"Anyway, let's just pick a spot." Tenten motioned for him to move toward an empty shady patch of grass under a tree.

Tenten had suggested they remain close by to eat their cones, but all of the tables and stools at the small ice cream parlor had already been taken; even the ones outside. Fortunately she had spotted a small shady area that no one had taken. Neji reasoned it was probably because it was too small for more than one person to sit at comfortably, but since they were use to sitting side by side, at close proximity, during their training breaks, it was perfect for them.

Moving over toward the small shaded area, Neji noticed the heat was beginning to melt both their cones. He quickly began licking at the bottom of his ice cream; not wanting the sugary substance to reach his hands, and later make them all sticky.

Soon, the pair sat down; quietly consuming their sweet treat.

It really had been a good idea to go for ice cream, Neji realized. The heat truly was unbearable; it starting to get to him. Even looking at Tenten's green ice cream cone caused him to see little imaginary mint chocolate chips that resembled Gai and Lee dancing around her ice cream.

"Huh?" Neji stared dumbfounded at the sight before him.

Normally, hot temperatures made for hot temperaments, but this time, it seemed as if the heat was affecting Neji in an unexpected way.

"…" Neji quickly shook his head to rid himself of the hallucination; but more so to rid himself of the thoughts that echoed in his head, telling him _**that**_ was so not normal…(**1**)

"Are you okay?" Tenten looked at him questioningly; her face was flushed from the heat, but she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the ice cream in her hand as she waited for his reply.

"Hn." Neji nodded. "It's just the heat." He explained.

"Okay." She shrugged, before returning her attention to the melting ice cream cone in her hand.

Neji watched as the dripping green substance began trickling down the sides of the cone; seconds within reading the kunoichi's hand. The images of the Lee and Gai mints, already long and forgotten; but now Neji found himself transfixed by the flicking motion of the girl's tongue as it darted back and forth, trying in vain to reach each drop before it touched her skin; completely oblivious to the fact that his own ice cream was already melting into his hand.

"Ah, Neji." Tenten called out; her tone saturated by concern.

The heat would later be blamed for his absence of forethought; that momentary lapse in sanity. Without thinking, Neji leaned into an inviting green trail dripping down the bun-haired kunoichi's chin. Slowly running his tongue alone the path of the wayward ice-cream, Neji suddenly found himself at the kunoichi's lips, before he realized his body had moved of its own volition.

It had not been Neji's intention; clearly the heat had melted his brain, along with the dripping ice cream, but now that he was there, the prodigy figured he would at least make the most of it…

'_Huh, mint does taste fresher_.' (**2**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!... lol… and happy Birthday to Dorkalicious as well… born on the best day of the year! JULY 9!! **XP**

(**1**) Hahaha… imagine… tiny little Gai and Lee chocolate chips running around Tenten's ice cream cone… so funny… hehehe…  
(**2**) Sorry… would have gotten more into the kiss… but it really didn't fic quite what I was going for… plus I liked the last line… **XP**

BE KIND…. Leave me a review for my birthday! (it'd be the best present ever if I made it to 1K reviews… lol.. okay… maybe asking for 102 reviews is asking for too much… but hey, only need 2 more for 9 hundred, that'd be nice too…)

* * *

_ONE MORE THING..._

* * *

_For fun, show of hands (i.e. reviews or pm), if I decided I wanted to play a game, how many of you people think you would be willing to play? _

_As some of you know, I haven't been reading any fics lately, and I'm too lazy to go search for any… but as those of you who are consistent reviewers know, my laziness tends to steer me toward my reviewer's stories on occasion, and so I thought… 'huh… what if I played a game with some of them and did a prompt challenge?"… (technically Midnight Memories__ and I are sort of doing something like that with the Ipod shuffle thing… but not the same songs, so… it's not really the same thing…)_

_I want to do a 10 prompt challenge with any of you readers out there willing to play… I'm calling it 10 for NejiTen (yeah I know, very creative XP)… I'd probably just add my stories in here __(as opposed to starting a new story; __saves __space on my profile)… It'd be just for fun… no contest, no prizes, no deadlines, just fun… I want to see what other people would come up with… _

_ So if anyone's interested, let me know… and I'll send you the list. XD. I will warn you now though… I don't like doing cliché, in a cliché way… (hehehe… you should all know that by now)… so it won't be your typical one-word prompt… _

P.S. Some of you I may just totally force into this… :insert evil laugh: (:cough:_Midnight Memories_:cough:_Shadeehue_:cough)…


	53. Between Friendship and Love

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I will be honest… this was incredibly hard to do… not because the story its self was complicated, but because I wanted to do so many things at once, that it just wasn't working… so… sigh… hope this worked…  
WARNING: oh so cliché… lol… (IMPORTANT NOTE AT BOTTOM ABOUT CLICHES, PLEASE READ)…

_**NUMBER 10 in the 10 for NejiTen Challenge**_

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – to _**Shadeehue**_... I wanted to do the panda-crack for you, but couldn't get it work; I even almost tired doing my first AU… but it felt so unnatural!... so this is what I came up with…I hope you'll like it… **XD**

_Happy Birthday to you,  
Happy Birthday to you,  
Happy Birthday dear Sara  
Happy Birthday to you!_

Enjoy!!

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**BETWEEN FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_.:..:..:..:. One Kiss Breaches The Distance Between Friendship And Love .:..:..:..:._

"I still don't get it… why are we meeting Gai-sensei at team seven's training grounds?" Tenten asked her silent companion as the two made their way through the forest to where their team leader had instructed them to meet up that morning.

"Hn." Neji grunted; slowly shaking his head to communicate his ignorance on the matter. He was almost certain whatever the reason was, it would no doubt end badly.

In the five years they had known Gai, Neji had learned two absolute truths about the spandex wearing jounin. (**1**) One, he was strange. Not just because of his outfit, or his hair, or his obsession with youth; the man was seriously screwy. And two, even though on his own Gai was an annoyance and complete and utter embarrassment; when the odd man was within close proximity of his 'eternal rival', all bets were off. There was no way of knowing what could possibly happen when those two were together. Neji was slightly worried about what today could possibly have in store for them this time. He was grateful, at least, that he had Tenten there to lessen the insanity of being on such a weird team.

"It's going to be another challenge, isn't it?" Tenten worriedly inquired.

Neji noted the dual meaning within the kunoichi's statement. Yes, it would most definitely be a challenge; regardless of whether or not it was one of Gai's 'ridiculous battles' with the masked shinobi.

"I believe so." Neji nodded.

Neji liked sticking to routine; changes in his habitual day to day activities tended to end up badly for him. Neji was beginning to get a bad feeling about this day. He really didn't want to know what today would bring.

Looking over at his female companion, Neji could see she too shared in his apprehension of what lay in store for them as they hesitantly approached their destination.

"Hey." Tenten stopped walking.

"…" Neji looked around the open field, to see what had caused the girl to halt. "Hn." One eyebrow quickly shot up as he stared at the area before them; thinking the same thing as Tenten.

"Where is everyone?" She voiced.

In the years they had known team seven, Neji had long since learned to expect the late arrivals of the legendary copy-nin. It was a well-known fact that the masked shinobi was never on time; therefore it didn't at all surprise the prodigy that Kakashi had not yet arrived. What _did_ surprise him, however, was to see that the others on the team were also missing.

"Kakashi-sensei I understand, but… Sakura, Naruto, Sai and Yamato-sensei..."(**2**) She trailed off; clearly having been thinking the very same thing as him. "And what's more… Lee and Gai-sensei?" Tenten furrowed her brow, as if she were trying to come up with some logical explanation.

"Hn." Neji nodded in agreement.

It was unusual for the two buffoons to be late. If anything, Gai was the type who prided himself in punctuality, and would often reprimand others for being even a second late. Lee, by extension, was exactly the same as his idol.

"Well…" Tenten turned to face him. "What should we do?"

They had purposefully arrived a few minutes later than the designated time (even knowing Gai's likely, overdramatic reaction), for the very purpose of avoiding as much of whatever insanity their sensei had concocted.

"I suppose we should wait." Neji replied, taking a seat in front of one of the three training posts before of them.

"Yeah I guess." Tenten shrugged, before taking a seat next Neji.

In moments, the prodigy became suddenly aware of just how close the two were seated to one another. It wasn't unusual, of course, for the two teammates to lean up against a tree, seated together like they currently were, but for some reason, he had recently been feeling rather uncomfortable with their closeness.

"Neji, is something wrong?" Tenten leaned in to look at him.

"Huh." Neji's instinctively threw his head back; forgetting completely about the hard wooden post behind him.

.:..:..:..:. .:..:..:..:. .:..:..:..:. .:..:..:..:. .:..:..:..:.

"Neji" A soft voice called out to him from above. "Neji."

"Hn." The prodigy's eyes slowly began fluttering open.

He was painfully aware of the throbbing sensation in his head, as he opened his eyes to realize he was staring up into a bright blue shy.

"Finally." Tenten's head suddenly poked into his line of vision. "You were out for at least ten minutes. Geeze, really gave me a scare, you idiot."

"Hn?" Neji frowned up at her; not very pleased at being called an idiot by the girl he kind-of, sort-of, maybe, liked; even though he'd only just begun to realize that a few days earlier.

"Yeah, I called you an idiot." Tenten replied to his silent complaint. "What kind of genius shinobi goes and loses consciousness by bumping his _own_ head against a wooden post?"

Neji shut his eyes, trying to ignore the overwhelming desire to pull the kunoichi down to him. Was it strange that he found ever her angry, scolding face to be endearing?

"What's with you?" Tenten continued. "Even before that you were acting weird, all red and jumpy." She paused a moment; her voice taking a more serious tone. "Actually, come to think of it, you've been acting kind of strange the last few days." Tenten tapped his bare forehead rapidly with her fingers; attempting to get him to look up at her. "You know if anything's bothering you, you can always tell me right?"

"Hn." Neji nodded his head, which oddly enough wasn't hurting as much as before. Even the hard dirt floor didn't feel that hard; if anything, it felt soft, and warm…

"Well?" Tenten pressed; preventing Neji from trying to figure out why his head felt so strange; and why his arms seemed barer than usual.

"Well what?" Neji questioned.

"Well, tell me already." Tenten urged; leaning down to face him better.

Neji momentarily forgot what she was referring to as he observed a loose lock of hair dangling down from one of her twin-buns; the ends of it barely caressing the side of his face as he looked up at her.

It felt slightly ticklish, but at the same time electrifying. He could feel sharp jolts of energy shooting through him, as the warmth surrounding his head continued clouding his mind.

"So…?" Tenten continued pressing the question.

"What?" Neji shook the previous thoughts out of his head.

"What is it?" Tenten questioned.

"What's what?" Neji asked again.

"Ah! Neji, you're starting to infuriate me!"

Without warning, the prodigy suddenly found himself being heaved off his warm cushion, as the bun-haired kunoichi rose to her feet and angrily stared down at him.

'_So it was her lap._' A warm flush began creeping up his face at the sudden realization of where his head had been laying for the past few minutes.

Looking around Neji noticed his long sleeved shirt, Tenten's white top, and both of their headbands scattered on the floor beside them. It appeared as if she's made the two shirts into a pillow to place one her lap, before putting his head down on it.

So that was why he had felt a breeze earlier. And that explained the loose locks of hair.

It was then that Neji noticed what the kunoichi was wearing, or rather, what she was NOT wearing. It wasn't like he'd never seen her without her long sleeved shirt before, but because of how warm the shirt was, the top Tenten generally wore underneath it was rather small; and tight. It was really no more than a sports bra over her chest-bindings, leaving her entire mid-drift exposed; her very toned mid-drift.

"There you go again!" Tenten accusingly pointed at the Hyuga as his flushed face only continued deepening in color. "What is it you can't tell me?" She angrily shouted, before her face suddenly took on a saddened expression. "Don't you trust me?"

"…" Who could have known four simple words could weigh so heavily; so painfully. "That's not it." Neji lowered his head down to the ground; not wanting the kunoichi to see his blushing face, or the hopelessness in his eyes. She had always been able to read him so well; he didn't want her to know. What was the point?

"Then what is it?" Tenten knelt down at his side, trying to peek under the messy cascade of hair that hid Neji's face.

"I trust you with my life Tenten." Neji replied; trying to stay away from the previous topic by focusing on the last statement instead.

Even that, though, seemed out of character for him. He wasn't the dishonest type, but he just wasn't that expressive when it came to emotions; this wasn't the type of stuff he talked about.

"Then why won't you trust me with your heart?" Tenten solemnly asked.

"…" His head instantly shot up, looking questioningly at the girl before him.

What did she mean by that?

"Come on, it doesn't take a Shikamaru to figure out that whatever it is, it's clearly about something that's troubling your heart. And even though I know you're not exactly the warm emotionally expressive type… you can tell me anything." Tenten encouragingly smiled back at him. "Is… is it a girl?"

He wasn't certain, but Neji thought he heard a tinge of sadness in her last question; but perhaps he was just deluding himself… wishful thinking.

"Well, you are at that age I suppose." Tenten shrugged. "Actually with the number of girls after you, I'm kind of surprised it didn't happen sooner. But then you never seemed interested in anything other than training, which kind of…" she trailed off. (**0**)

"Hn?" Neji stared back at the girl curiously; his face scrunched together as he tired to figure out exactly what she had been trying to say.

"…" Bringing a hand up to his forehead, Neji began to gently massaging his temples as the throbbing pain from before suddenly resurfaced, preventing him from thinking any further.

"Neji?" Tenten's concerned voice echoed in his head. She leaned in again, this time much more slowly; to prevent what happened the last time from repeating.

"What about you?" Neji gravely spoke; lifting his head back up to face the kunoichi.

"What about me?" Tenten asked.

"If, as you say, I am 'at that age', would that not mean that you are as well?" He hesitantly inquired.

"eh?" Tenten cocked her head to the side; a trait of hers Neji found undeniably adorable. "I guess." She shrugged. "Haven't really thought about it for a while though."

"…" He wasn't sure whether to be relieved or concerned about her response. "Does that imply you did at one point?"

"Well…" she hesitated. "Yeah, I suppose… a long time ago…"

"…" Neji waited for her to continue.

"There was… someone…" She explained; but went no further than that.

"A man?" This time it was Neji who was pressing for answers; though he wasn't sure he really wanted to hear her reply.

"Yeah." Tenten sadly recalled; nodding her head slowly.

"What happened?" A part of him wondered what could possible get the generally cheerfully kunoichi to look so sad; but the rest of him really didn't want to know.

"Nothing." Tenten's nonchalant attitude returned.

"Doesn't sound like it." Neji remarked.

It dawned on him that he'd never noticed anything like this before. When had there ever been a man? He couldn't remember ever seeing her with anyone.

"Really, it was nothing." Tenten insisted. "Just a crush."

"A crush?" Neji repeated.

Inside, an uncomfortable churning threatened to have him keel over a second time; he really didn't need to know all this. This was not the sort of conversation the two sparring partners had; it just wasn't.

"Yeah, but everyone did." Tenten shrugged, trying to convey to him that it had been nothing at all, but Neji could see in the welling of her eyes that she wasn't being entirely truthful about the matter; maybe not even to herself.

'_Everyone?_' Neji repeated the word in his mind; wondering what significance it held. "**Uchiha**." A growl escaped the prodigy before he could stop himself, as the pieces slowly began pulling themselves together in his groggy mind.

"Uchiha?" Tenten repeated "You mean Sasuke?"

"Hn." Neji outwardly remained unmoved, waiting to see if she would affirm or deny his accidental accusation.

"What?" She chuckled. "You think I'm secretly a Sasuke fangirl?"

"Hn." He made no indication of what he was really thinking.

It made sense. Sasuke _had_ had a large group of fangirls trailing after him for years, and since he'd left the village long ago, it only made sense that anyone who liked him would have felt the need to give up after his extended absence. He figured Tenten probably just wanted to forget about it, and so she tired pretending that it was 'just a crush,' when in reality, her eyes said differently.

"You've got to be kidding." Tenten indignantly replied.

"I seem to recall you mentioning to Lee before the first chunnin exam that you considered the Uchiha attractive." Neji pointed out, remembering how crushingly painful it had been to hear her say such words; though at the time, he hadn't really realized the significance of his jealousy.

Had he really liked her even back then?

"Oh sure, I'll admit, he's… good looking." Tenten confirmed. "But I'd far from consider myself a fan." She stated. "In fact…"

"…" Neji listened intently; even though outwardly he appeared to only be passively engaged in the conversation at this point.

"I kind of dislike him. And, I don't even think he's all that cute." Tenten stated matter-of-factly.

"You have not seen him for years," Neji observed. "What is it you are basing this change on?"

"Please Neji, physical appearance only catches a girl's eye," Tenten explained, "but in the end, it doesn't matter. It's a guy's character that catches a girl's heart."

"Hn." Neji considered the kunoichi's words.

Neji was aware that there existed certain parallels between the two prodigies; if it was Sasuke's personality that she did not like, it might imply that Neji's own personality fell short of her demands.

Not that it mattered; Neji had already determined she couldn't possible feel the way about him that he did about her; that was clearly evidenced by how casually she was treating this conversation, not to mention how she usually behaved around him. She wasn't the shy, bashful girl with a crush, like Hinata; or the pushy and demanding flirt, like Ino; or the open and direct confessing type, like Sakura. No; she treated him like a friend, and nothing more; there was no way he could expect her to feel the way he did.

"I mean, seriously," Tenten continued, "the guy betrays our village because of his own personal vendetta, and everyone goes looking for him as if it would all be the way it was before he left? What about those people who lost family and friends during Orochimaru's invasion?" she turned to face Neji directly. "Could _you_ forgive him for nearly dieing when you and the other guy's went after him?" she asked. (**3**)

"Perhaps." Neji replied, turning away for the moment as he contemplated the question. He had never really thought about it before.

"Well, I can't." she softly replied.

"…" Neji turned back to face the kunoichi. "You forgave Gaara." He mentioned; referring to what the Kazekage had done to their other teammate.

"That's different." Tenten stated; looking mournfully down at her clasped hands.

"I don't believe that it is." Neji disagreed; once more trying to figure what the hidden meaning behind her words was.

"It is." Tenten insisted.

"How so?" he questioned.

"Because…" She trailed off. (**0**)

Neji couldn't see it though. The only real difference between her ability to forgive Gaara for nearly killing Lee, and her inability to forgive Sasuke for nearly getting Neji killed while trying to rescue him, was perhaps the fact that Lee had already forgiven Gaara, and even become friends with the fierce sand leader, thus making it impossible for Tenten to hold any animosity toward the Kazekage.

"Do you forgive him?" Tenten asked again; referring to Sasuke.

"I've never held any ill will toward him." Neji replied.

It was true; other than a few moments earlier when he believed Tenten's crush had been Sasuke, Neji had never felt any anger or resentment towards the renegade-Uchiha. There was no need for forgiveness when he's never even blamed him.

"I can't…"(**0**) Tenten began explaining, but seemed unable to. "What were we talking about before?" she shook her head, attempting to change the subject.

"…" Neji shrugged, indicated he didn't remember.

"Right!" Tenten exclaimed. "The girl."

"Girl?" Neji repeated questioningly.

"Don't play dumb with me Hyuga." Tenten sat herself firmly on the ground; regaining her fighting spirit once more. "Well? Who is she? Do I know her?"

"…" He stoically stared back at the girl as she brushed off her knees; wishing she could just drop the subject. "What about _**him**_? You didn't finish telling me about him. Who was it?"

"uhu." Tenten shook her head. "I asked first."

Seeing no way out of his present predicament, Neji relented. "Very well." He sighed; wishing desperately that the rest of their group would soon arrive and put him out of his misery. "There is someone." He reluctantly admitted; waiting her to say something.

"A girl." She reiterated.

"Hai." Neji affirmed; still quite hesitant to continue on with such a conversation.

Noticing is hesitation, Tenten warmly smiled and asked, "What's she like?"

"She's…" He considered his answer.

He needed to find a way to answer the question without really answering it. It was against his own desire that this conversation had even begun, but with no way to avoid it, he wanted, at the very least, to keep her from finding out that the thing that was bothering him was how he felt for her.

"She's…" He leaned his head back slowly; closing his eyes and exhaling deeply. "…perfect." He almost inaudibly replied.

Neji half hoped his whispered reply had somehow made it to the kunoichi's ear. It was the closest he would ever come to confessing his love.

"Wow." A soft gasp, escaping the girl's mouth brought Neji back to reality. "You really do like her."

Again, he could see a hint of something in her eyes; but what it was, was still unclear.

Was it sorrow?

'_Could it be…_' (**0**)

No. It didn't mean anything. Neji was certain of it.

"When… When are you going to tell her?" Tenten asked.

"Never." Neji automatically replied.

"What do you mean, never?" Tenten angrily exclaimed.

"There's no point." He responded, before leaning his head back up against the wood stump he had earlier knocked himself out with.

"I never knew you were such a coward Neji."

Neji quickly brought his head back down and faced her.

That had stung. But he couldn't deny it. He _was_ a coward. No matter how he tried to rationalize it… he was afraid.

And it wasn't team dynamics; it wasn't even the fear of rejection or pain that stopped him. It was the fear that he could lose her forever. That if she knew how he truly felt about her, she would push him away, and out of her life completely. And that was the one thing he wanted least in the world.

"What about you?" Neji asked. "Did _you_ ever tell _**him**_?"

"…" Tenten turned her head back down again. "Yeah." she half-heartedly chuckled. "You're right. I guess I'm not really one to judge either. Sorry" she looked back up again; her apology clearly written in her eyes.

'_I was right_.' Neji said to himself; though knowing that didn't make him happy.

He had been right about the 'crush;' it _had_ been more than a crush.

"…" Neji wondered if perhaps she had also misrepresented the fact that it was over. From the look on the kunoichi's face, and tone in her voice, Neji seriously doubted Tenten was as 'over it' as she had declared.

"Why didn't you?" Neji bravely asked; putting his own feelings to the side, though it was difficult to do.

"Like I said," Tenten deeply exhaled. "It was just a childhood crush. Everyone has them, and then outgrows them. There's no point in ruining…"(**0**) She stopped to regain her composure, before continuing with a different reply. "It's different in your case though."

"…" Neji stared expectantly at the bun-haired kunoichi.

What did she mean 'different'? What made it so?

"Because we were kids." Tenten once again answered his silent questions. "It was a crush… one which all the girls our year had. But there was no point, he wasn't interested. And I'm satisfied just being with… just as things are."(**0**) She quickly gazed down. Neji could tell that 'satisfied' wasn't the same as 'happy'. "But it's different for you, because… you're you. Neji is Neji." (**4**)

"…" Neji quietly took in all that she had said. He could tell there was definitely something he was missing.

Every word seemed to have deeper meaning; more to it than just the surface layer.

A childhood crush.

Admired by other girls.

Of their year.

Which would ruin…

'_Ruin what?_' Neji wondered.

Satisfaction with just being with…?

'_Being with what?_' He asked himself.

And what exactly did it mean that 'Neji was Neji'?

"…" Sudden realization hit the Hyuga harder than the painful crashing of his skull into the wooden post behind him had done earlier.

Could it be?...

"Do you miss him?" Neji carefully observed the girl's reaction.

"Of course not," She scoffed. "Why would ... No."(**0**) She shook her head.

He was certain now. It had to be. But he needed to be sure of one more thing.

"Geeze, they sure are taking their sweet time aren't they?" Tenten scanned the training field for any sign of their missing companions.

"One last question." Neji called back her attention.

"Ok." Tenten nervously agreed.

"Do you regret it?" Neji asked; referring to whether or not the kunoichi regretted never having confessed how she felt.

"…" She looked down at her hands again; Neji figured she was probably wondering how the tables had turned on, making her the one being questioned instead of him. "Sometimes." Her whispered respond matching the same degree of longing and pain as his earlier one had held. "But I think I would have regretted…"(**0**) Closing her eyes to pause, Tenten bit her lip to stop herself from continuing; a habit Neji remembered her picking up long ago.

"Thank you Tenten."

"Eh?" Tenten cocked her head to the side again, looking at him with the same expression she always wore, when confused; one which Neji found completely adorable. "For what?"

"Life in the shinobi world is often so fleeting." Neji profoundly explained. "You've helped me realize this."

"Ok…" She continued looking at him curiously; unsure of what he was getting at.

"It's an unfortunate circumstance of reality that in order to gain that which we want most of all, we must risk losing what we already have, and perhaps even more." Neji continued. (**5)**

"Huh?" Her look of confusion told him she still wasn't getting it; but he hadn't expected her to; not yet….

"You were correct in calling me a coward." Neji continued. "Does a coward deserve happiness?"

"…" She didn't answer, but he could see his words were having some effect.

"I don't believe so." He replied to himself. "Only those willing to risk their hearts completely, should be so deserving."

"What are you trying to say Neji?"

"I'm saying," Neji leaned in. "I don't want to have regrets." Closer, he moved; close enough for the intermingling of breaths.

"Ne…" This time, Neji was the cause of her unfinished sentence, as he breached the gap between their lips and passionately released all that he had been holding back; his longing, his pain, his hunger, desire, affection, and most of all his love for the woman kissing him back. (**0**)

"Tenten." He called out to the dazed girl just as the two parted; his bare forehead pressed against hers as he looked deeply into her honey tinted eyes. "I entrust you my heart." (**6**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

* * *

**A/N**: I had a totally different plan, a totally different ending, and a totally different title, but somehow this works… lol… and surprisingly enough, it actually ended up fitting one of the 10 for NejiTen challenge prompts (Number 10). But you know what, I might just do the original story as a second part to this chapter later one (but don't quote me on that). In case anyone's wondering what Team 7 and Gai and Lee were up to... well that was part of the original plot... so... I can't tell you since I'm more likely than not going to do a second part to end... maybe... (lol... so like a future lawyer... no definite answers... lol)

FOOTNOTES:

(**1**) 5 years means they should about around 17 years old in this fic, which means AFTER the time-skip  
(**2**) remember, they're 17, therefore it's just Naruto and Sakura… well and Inkei-boy and Tomato (weird, footnote within a footnote… case you didn't get it, Inkei means penis in Japanese… though it quite appropriate since Sai seems obsessed with it… plus, the whole nickname thing… and then of course, the "Ink" fits too… as for Tomato… well, come on, it's not like that one's not obvious **XP**)  
(**3**) I apologize Sasuke fans, but… I really don't like the boy… not only because he betrayed the village and was so mean to poor little Naruto… but, as a Neji fan, I agree with Tenten… how dare that bastard almost get our Neji-kun killed?!  
(**4**) If you're as obsessed with manga as I am, I'm sure that line is very familiar… lol  
(**5**) It's basically theme 8 of the _**10 for NejiTen challenge**_… but I only want to count one story per prompt… so this isn't number 8…  
(**6**) Awww… that was so freaking sappy… but I loved it. **XP**

(**0**) Incomplete sentences completed...  
-- which kind of… (nothing really, just indicative that she decided to be friends instead of pursue what she believed to be a hopeless case)  
-- because… _I love you_ (j/k… but that's the sentiment)  
-- I can't… _forgive him for getting you hurt_  
-- Could it be…_ that she feels the same way?_  
-- There's no point in ruining… _what we had_ (referring to their friendship)  
-- Satisfied just being with… _him_  
-- Why would… _I miss him?_ (since she's always with him)  
-- But I think I would have regretted…_losing him, more_.  
-- Ne… _Neji_ (of course)

* * *

MAKING A LIST  
(and checking it twice **XP**… and no, sorry, not Santa… although I would mind having some elves around to do my chores…)

* * *

Ok, so I want to do the MOST cliché story ever! (In my own style of course)… so lol… most likely it'll be a huge parody one-shot… but FIRST I must come up with a list of all the cliché NejiTen (or Naruto, or fanfic in general) plotlines out there… please please please help me come up with the list…

To get us started… off the top of my head, here's 5 I can come up with:  
1. The Neji-obsessed-with-his-hair plot  
2. Neji arranged to be married to some other chick, when he's really in love with Tenten plot  
3. Tenten pretends to be Neji's girlfriend (to get him out of an arranged marriage, or to keep the fangirls away, or because of his uncle for some reason), and either they're already in love with one another, but hiding it… or Tenten's in love with him and hiding it, or Neji's in love with her but doesn't realize it, or neither are in love, but then end up falling in love or realizing they always were, or any combination thereof.  
4. The typical high-school fic (Best friends who realize they love each other… which is so the plot for Nejiten fic anyway…lol; or Tenten is a new transfer student to Konoha high, where she has some bad encounter with Neji… hates him, then loves him…)  
5. Sasuke asks Tenten out and Neji gets jealous (which as we all know, will likely never happy in any of my stories… but I did do this… sort of... with Gaara in WHAT IS LOVE)

SEND ME MORE!! (please and thank you **XD)**


	54. Amusing Kakashi

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Sorry for the delay… I got really focused on finishing WHAT IS LOVE…which btw, if you haven't read it, you **should**, it's awesome (aren't I modest XP)… and now, I'm currently working on FIVE NOBLE CLANS, which is the sequel to WIND AND DRAGON (all of the NejiTen in case anyone doesn't know). And I'll probably be focusing on that one for a while, so… updates here will be sporadic.

WARNING: Kind of short… oh and it's the continuation of the previous chapter… Sort of what I originally wanted to do with it… but not quite, but amusing nonetheless… ah Kakashi… I love him. **XD**

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**AMUSING KAKASHI  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

He did it.

He finally did it.

For over five years, Neji had wanted to tell the bun-haired kunoichi exactly how he felt, but had been too afraid of her reaction to do so. He had told himself that it was impossible for their relationship to grow stronger then it already was; that there was no point in risking the friendship they already shared.

Neji told everyone that they were merely friends; that that was all he saw her as. But that was a lie. He had loved her since the moment that they first met. He couldn't get her out of his mind. More than anything, he wanted to hold her in his arms; to tell her that he loved her. But he was scared. He couldn't risk her rejection; more than anything, Neji couldn't allow the fear that one day she might leave his side to become a reality. For Neji, that would be a fate more cruel than anything he could ever imagine.

And so it was decided… he would never tell her; after all, there was no way Tenten could possibly feel the same for Neji as he did for her.

Yet there he was, laying on the clearing floor, with the girl of his dreams held tightly in his arms, as Neji passionately allowed all the feelings in him to come pouring out, in a single kiss.

"Ahem." A low, muffled cough called out from behind the two new lovers. "I hate to interrupt." Neji turned to see the ever-tardy silver-haired sensei standing a few yards away. "Especially when it seems to be getting to the good part." A squint in the masked shinobi's right eye indicated a smirk under Kakashi's mask; quickly, Neji and Tenten separated.

Neji watched, as a deep crimson hue overcame the kunoichi's delicate features. '_So cute_.' Neji thought; barely containing the smile that was threatening to break free.

"What is it?" Neji sternly looked at the masked man; inwardly disgusted at the perverse thoughts, no doubt, running through the former ANBU's mind.

It was a well known fact that the masked man was the second most perverted shinobi in the entire Leaf Village (quite a remarkable feat in a village full of perverts); the first, of course, being Naruto's _other_ sensei: Jiraiya. Had it been any one else who had found Neji and Tenten in the compromising position that the two had been when Kakashi entered the clearing, it probably wouldn't have been as embarrassing for the red-faced kunoichi as it seemed to be. Neji, on the other hand, was not in the least bit ashamed.

Looking at the kunoichi's scarlet expression, as well as noting the lack of attire both she and Neji were currently wearing, he understood how easily misinterpretable their current appearance might seem. The matter was further worsened by the fact that it was someone with Kakashi's perverse mind that had come across the scene. Neji, however, did not feel like dwelling on the matter; he merely wanted the masked shinobi gone, so he and Tenten could perhaps discuss what the sudden turn of events earlier meant for the two of them. But more importantly, Neji wanted the lecherous shinobi as far away from the scantly clad Tenten as possible.

"In a hurry to get rid of me, ay?" Kakashi continued to smirk; ignoring completely, the deathly glare Neji was aiming at him. "Don't worry, I'll let you two get back to… whatever it was you were doing." He paused to stifle his immature chuckling, as he eyed the red faced kunoichi.

"Hn." Neji calmly stepped in front of the silver-haired jounin; blocking his vision of the barely dressed girl.

"Just wondering," Kakashi amusedly chose to ignore the overprotective movement of the white-eyed shinobi. "Did I get the scheduled meeting hour wrong?" He looked down at his wrist watch.

Neji was surprised the man even owned one; as he momentarily wondered if the masked shinobi purposefully arrived late.

"Where is everyone?" Kakashi asked, as he looked around the empty training field.

Neji also scanned the surrounding area, wondering the exact same thing.

Where had the rest of them been all that time? The two teams had been scheduled to meet hours ago; even though Neji and Tenten had arrived considerably late (expecting that Kakashi wouldn't arrive until that, and Gai would undoubtedly end up ranting about how "unyouthful" it was to be late, until his "rival" did arrive), it had already been over half an hours since the two sparring partners had arrived at the training field. Yet, it was still empty; where had the rest of the two teams disappeared to?

"We arrived only a little while ago." Tenten explained to the masked shinobi, after quickly putting her thick white training shirt back over the small tank-top she had been wearing as her only covering. "But no one else was here."

"Only a little while ago?" Kakashi cocked his head to the side; a look of amusement conveyed in his single uncovered eye. "And what… you two were just filling the boredom then?" A squinting of his right eye again indicated his amused smirk, which only further grew when he noticed the kunoichi's deepening blush. "Well maybe I should go look for them." He nonchalantly stated; turning to walk away. "I'll let you two get back to… whatever…"

Even though he couldn't see the older man's one visible eye, Neji was certain the masked shinobi was widely smirking, with that lecherous smile of his.

"Oh, Neji-kun." Kakashi turned back around, tossing the white-eyed shinobi a small object in the process. "Sure hope Hiashi-sama's had that chat with you." He smirked, before turning back to leave the new couple alone.

"Or maybe Gai…" The masked jounin mumbled as he continued walking into the forest. "Oh that would be unpleasant; him and his metaphors… How did that one go again? Was it birds in trees? Or bees and honey? Ummm…"

Neji watched as the infamous copy-nin faded into the trees; wondering, what exactly that man was talking about. "Birds? Bees?" The prodigy quietly repeated curiously, before sudden realization hit him. "…" Slowly the white-eyed shinobi turned down to look at the small plastic package, that seemed to contain some circular object, Neji held clenched in his fist.

"What'd he throw you?" A curious female voice asked from besides him, as Tenten poked her head over the shinobi's broad bare shoulder. "aha!"

A gasp, followed by two matching, bright red faces, sent a very amused silver-haired sensei laughing hysterically away from team seven's training field, as one, Hatake Kakashi, went in search of the rest of their teams.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: If you can't imagine what small plastic package, containing some circular object, Kakashi threw at Neji, then… I'm not telling._:.said in a sing-songy tone.:._

* * *

.:.

_**EDIT! WOOOOO MADE IT TO ONE THOUSAND REVIEWS! GO TO MY PROFILE AND CHECK THE FANART THANKING YOU ALL FOR THAT! THANKS... .:.HUGS.:.**_

.:.

* * *


	55. Eternal Dance

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Because I'm freakishly insane, having spent days organizing my prompt list for the "10 for NejiTen" challenge, only to completely disregard it when I decided to start on number 10, thus ensuring the complete randomness of my prompts… here's

PROMPT NUMBER 1

_**DEDICATION**_ – I dedicate this one-shot to all of you lovely reviewers… there's way too many to list now, but each and every one of you is immensely special and wonderful and near and dear to my heart because thanks to all of you, this story has officially hit the ONE THOUSAND review mark… wow… who would have thought a simple birthday story for Neji would turn out this awesome. **XD **

**THANK YOU ALL YOU AWESOME REVIEWERS!!**  
(check out my profile for my official thank you fanart **XD**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_** SOUNDLESS MELODY  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_.:..:..:..:.There comes a time, when every lonely little boy must learn to dance.:..:..:..:._

_DONG DONG DONG_

Neji stared, frustrated, at the plain white ceiling above him, as the antique grandfather clock in the main house family room echoed three consecutive chimes through the compound.

Three o'clock.

He had been lying in bed for the past few hours, beckoning slumber to claim his restless spirit. But sleep would not come.

Neji had tired everything. From drinking warm milk, which he didn't particular like, as it left him with an unpleasantly thick and creaming taste in his mouth; to counting an endless array of wooly mammals in his imagination. But nothing seemed to work.

Were it a one time occurrence, Neji probably would not have cared either way. He would have remained in bed, meditating in order to relax his body; it was better than nothing. Unfortunately, this _wasn't_ the first time this had happened.

For months, Neji had begun to find it more and more difficult to sleep. The restless nights had yet to affect his performance, thanks to the fact that Neji's regular meditation at least provided him with some rejuvenating rest. However, it was only a matter of time before Neji's insomnia would begin taking its toll on him

Sitting up on his tussled bed, Neji looked around the room. In the far corner, resting on his immaculacy clean desk, he found what he was looking for.

Earlier that day Neji had gone to the village library to check out some medical texts. He had read that insomnia was often caused due to prolonged uses of stimulants, changes in one's daily schedule, excessive or unpleasant noises, uncomfortable room temperature, depression, lack of exercise to rid one's self of excess energy, or some recent stressful situation in ones life. The first one could easily be ruled out. He didn't take any stimulants; even avoided coffee. So it couldn't be that.

The second one also seemed unlikely, as Neji's lived his life on a routine schedule; even with his current bad sleeping habits, he had not changed a single thing.

5:00 am - He woke up.

5:17 am - Breakfast.

5:40 am - Heads to training field.

5:50 am - Arrives at training field.

6:02 am - Tenten arrives.

6:15 am - Sparring begins

11:00 am - Lunch break.

11:30 am - More sparring.

5:00 pm - End of training

5:15 pm - Meditation

6:00 pm - Head back to Hyuga compound.

7:00 pm - Dinner.

9:00 pm - Finds Tenten for night training.

11:00pm - Returns to Hyuga compound.

It was the same thing every day; unless missions, or some other situation, called for a difference. But even then, Neji had his routine set for those occasions as well.

"Can't be that." Neji decided.

The third and fourth options seemed possible, given the recent unseasonably hot and humid summer Konoha was currently experiencing; making even the well ventilated rooms in the Hyuga compound slightly warmer than usual. But it didn't seem likely, since sleeping in boxer-shorts and a white muscle shirt, proved to be enough to keep the prodigy cool at night. As far as the noises; it was true that the clicking sounds of the grandfather clock a few rooms away, was slowing beginning to eat at his sanity, but Neji doubted the clock was really all that loud. It was more likely that he was merely _too_ aware of his surroundings, that the slightest sound was audible to him.

As for the fifth option, that one could also be ruled out. Neji didn't feel particularly depressed, and in fact, recently others had commented on his more cheerful demeanor. Of course that was before his sleeping problems which resulted in Neji taking on a more agitated temperament than his previous one.

The sixth option also seemed unlikely, since his routine was basically all training; all day. There was no way that he wasn't getting enough exercise. And as far as Neji knew, there was no reason for him to suddenly have an increase in his energy levels that his normal routine training regimen would not be enough to rid him of any excess energy. That, therefore, really only left the last option.

Stress.

But Neji could not think of anything in his daily life that could possibly cause his mind so much unrest.

"Maybe a jog will help to clear my head." Neji once again voiced his thoughts.

Quickly, the Hyuga rose off his bed, pulled some sweats over his boxers, and headed out for a run.

_.:..:..:..:. .:..:..:..:. .:..:..:..:._

It didn't seem to be working. Neji had been running for over an hour already, and still was not feeling any more tired than he had previously been. What's more, soon, Neji would have to start getting ready for his day; leaving only an hour for sleep before he had to start getting ready to make it back to his training field and spar with Tenten.

"Hn." Neji creased his brow for a moment, wondering why he suddenly felt the urge to go to their training field. (**1**)

Slowly taking his time to walk to the clearing where he and the bun-haired kunoichi usually trained, Neji silently came to a stop a few yards away. For a moment he was confused; wondering if he had actually been out jogging longer than he had pervious believed.

Looking out into the clearing; still hidden from sight, Neji spotted the kunoichi in question, standing bizarrely in the middle of a field of weapons.

It wasn't the weapons he found unusual; those were something Neji was very accustomed to seeing around the kunoichi. Rather, it was the unknown stance the girl was taking that caught Neji's attention.

Instead of her usual Soshoryu pose, where she held out her scrolls before releasing them into the air, Tenten was standing with her back arched into an almost crescent shaped bend. Her legs were spread far apart; the front one resting at the ninety degree angle, while the back one extended straight out. Her right hand was supporting her weight on the back leg, as the left arm extended upward, and her face gazed toward that hand.

It was an awkward pose, but for some reason it seemed completely natural on the kunoichi. Knowing he had never seen whatever jutsu Tenten was about to perform, Neji decided to remain hidden in the shadows and observe her solitary training for a while.

Jumping up into a low branch of the tall forest trees, Neji watched as the girl swiftly stepped out of her strange post into a series of movements he had never seen before. Many of her motions and angles appeared unnatural for any human body to be capable of performing, yet Tenten made them seem effortless.

Her long and lean muscles smoothly carried her across the field as Tenten leap, turned, jumped, and flipped gracefully through the air. Her every move, almost artistic in nature, as she combined the elegance of a ballet with the athleticism of an acrobatic show. And that's what it was, a show; a performance.

Not just any performance; it was a dance. But a dance unlike any Neji had ever before seen.

It was almost as if a silent melody were playing in the kunoichi's heart as she skillfully maneuvered her body into twists and turns; some even in mid-air. Every wave of her arm and brush of her fingertips exuded unspoken emotions, as if her body were being used to convey a story to an audience of trees.

But what was that story?

An emotional one, Neji surmised, from the tender gaze of the kunoichi as she twirled flawlessly through the trees; using her weapons in the process of her dance.

The dance was completely Tenten. Her soul manifested in a silent melody that flowed through her body as it preformed her story, floating through the air in long, slow leaps; almost as if she were ignoring the very laws of gravity that applied to the rest of humanity.

But not to her.

Tenten was special. She always had been special. Neji knew that, though he had never before now realized it. But he knew it. That was the reason he had chosen her as his sparring partner.

Contrary to popular belief, the two had not become sparring partners merely because Neji didn't want to train with their bizarre teammate or sensei, but rather because Neji had seen in the kunoichi something truly amazing. Not just her potential for tremendous growth; which of course, had been an accurate deduction by the prodigy. It as the brightness of her sprit that had memorized Neji. Her strength was breathtaking; and not just her physical strength, but her emotional and mental strength as well.

She was stronger and more determined than anyone Neji had ever met. Even Lee or Gai's overly enthusiastic approach to training, and optimistic outlook on life didn't compare to Tenten's silent determination and strength.

There she was, four o'clock in the morning, two hours until she had to face twelve hours of training with him, and Tenten was still trying her hardest to improve what unmistakably appeared to be a routine she had been working on for a long time. It was clear from the power of her movements, and the elegance of her steps, that Tenten had poured all her heart into her dance; into her story.

And that was just like Tenten.

She never did anything half-heartedly.

Her story, if Neji were forced to describe in words, would be one of perseverance and hard-work. She was undeniably determined. Her story, Neji was certain, would prove to be as beautiful and amazing as the dance she was gracefully performing before him.

Tenten's elegant movements captivated the Hyuga, as Neji wondered what it might be like to be by her side; following into step, as they often did during their sparring sessions. He could not imagine performing the movements she so effortlessly flowed into, but nonetheless, Neji felt a strong urge and desire to be a part of her story.

He didn't know how the story would end, or what his longing to be a part of it meant, but deep within him, Neji wished he could hear the soundless melody playing in her soul, so he too could share in the purity of the emotions that drove her.

He wanted to join in her dance.

_.:..:..:..:. .:..:..:..:. .:..:..:..:._

"Neji." A soft voice called out to him. "Neji."

"Hn." The prodigy moaned; slowly opening his heavy eye lids, as they met with the blind light of a midday sun.

He looked around, finding himself pressed against the hard bark of a tree trunk. Tenten was sitting calmly beside him; clearly having been waiting for some time now.

"Tenten." Neji sleepily called out; confused as to where he was and what he was doing there.

"Yes?" She looked at the well-rested prodigy expectantly; wondering what he might say.

Slowly, it all came rushing back at Neji. Where he was, what he'd been doing; his insomnia-driven jog through the village; coming across Tenten; watching her glide through the clearing like a prima ballerina.

"Next time," He suppressed a content yawn, as he began regain awareness of the waking world.

"Yeah Neji?" Tenten patiently waited for him to continue.

"May I dance with you?"

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: eeh… I'm not so sure about the ending… maybe the fact that it's nearly 2am and I exerted all my creative strength in the "dancing"… but I sort of feel the end wasn't as fluffy as I could have made it (no, not a kiss… I would have needed much more lead in to get a kiss in… it would have been unnatural and clumsy to stick and kiss in there… plus this was a somewhat introspective piece for Neji… so a kiss really isn't fitting…) but yeah… we'll see… I might continue it using another one of the prompts… but don't hold your breath... plus I'm still working/focusing entirely on FIVE NOBLE CLANS (no worries for those of you who are reading that story, I will likely update that one tomorrow)… I really only updated this one because I was feeling very guilty that I initiated the "10 for NejiTen" challenge and yet, I only had ONE of the prompts done (but it's likely going to be a while before my next update here)… **XP**… oh yeah, and I wanted to say THANK YOU to the reviews for getting this story to it's ONE THOUSANDTH review… love you all!

FOOTNOTES:  
(**1**) So totally random… blame MY insomnia… **XP**


	56. The Moon

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Sorry it's been forever since I've updated here… I haven't died (though I certainly felt like I wanted to this yesterday… had a really bad case of vertigo or something… still feeling so dizzy right now… feels like being sea-sick on dry land! **XP**)… Anyway, I'm still working on my multi-chapter story FIVE NOBLE CLANS, so it's going to be a while before the next update here… but I hope you like this one… although it's a little depressing… even for my taste…

WARNING: semi-Tenten-selfbashing (which I normally hate, but my head's in the wrong place right now so… XP… but check out my new fluff-nejiten fanart on deviantart, that's at least happy… lol)

**_THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!_**

**_DEDICATION_** – To Deyanira-chan, my ONE THOUSANDTH review… ;) Congrats and thanks for reading and review **XD**

* * *

PROMPT 9 of the 10 for NejiTen Challenge

_ As evening twilight fades away, the sky is filled with stars, invisible by day._

* * *

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_****THE MOON  
_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

'_How long has it been_?' Tenten asked herself, as she stood atop the famous mountain overlooking the village.

Staring at the midnight sky above, the kunoichi wondered how much longer she would have to wait before the man she loved finally took notice of her. She had been by his side for many years; first as his teammate, then his sparring partner, and eventually as his friend. Yet in all that time, never once had Tenten felt that he saw her for the woman that she was.

What _did_ he see her as?

Deeply breathing in the crisp autumn night air, Tenten cast her eyes up toward the regal moon that reminded her of that man. It's brilliant radiance as alluring as the confident aura with which he carried himself. He was a man of great ambition, and incredible strength and skill. Many women in the village chased after him; in hopes that he might notice them.

She too was among them; but Tenten had always believed that she different from them. She wasn't interested in him because of his looks, or his family name; she liked him because he was him. It wasn't because he was a prodigy, but because he was dedicated shinobi; a loyal friend, a good person. He was special. She had hoped he saw her as special too.

But of course she knew that wasn't possible.

"I was only deceiving myself." Tenten sighed, as she leaned her head up to face the starry sky.

The twinkling lights above her, surrounding the luminous moon reminded her even further of the distance between them.

He was just like the moon; surrounded by a multitude of sparking females; whereas she, was nothing if not ordinary. She wasn't a star that could sparkle in the night's sky along side him.

"With all those beautiful stars surrounding him, how could he ever notice me?" Tenten sighed.

In the entire village, no one had as many fan-girls as him. Kakashi had a large following, but after realizing the masked jounin would never settle down with a single girl, his fan-base has slowly begun dwindling in numbers; as many gave up hope on ever winning over the silver-haired shinobi.

One could only hope and dream for so long.

"…" Tenten longingly stared up at the full moon. Maybe it was time for her to let go as well.

_.:..:..:..:..:.:..:..:..FLASHBACK..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:._

_"You should just give up already." A curly haired civilian girl with beautiful blue eyes, bitterly commented._

_"Just because you're always with him doesn't mean he likes you." A short red-head angrily shouted at the kunoichi, as a small group of fan-girls began circling Tenten just outside the forest._

_It was always like that. Tenten was aware that the girls acted and spoke out of jealousy. They were jealous of the time she spent with him, when they barely managed to catch glimpses of the man; jealous of the fact that she knew the most intimate details of his life, and they didn't; jealous that he trusted her, when he didn't even know those girl's names. It was because they envied her position, that they often called Tenten out in large groups and tried to intimidate her into leaving his side; to stay away from him. _

_But their jealousy was misplaced. _

_Even though she spent all that time with him, she was in no better position then they were. True, she knew him better than they did; and he spent more time with her than any other girl. But that was it; he knew her, but didn't love her. He didn't even look at her in that way. Her chances; the possibility of him ever seeing her, the way that she saw him… it didn't exist. She was by his side, but she had failed to reach his heart. They, on the other hand, were not by his side, but the possibility still existed._

_"You're such an eyesore." Another angry fan-girl yelled out, as the girls threw another bucket of muddy water at the kunoichi._

_In the beginning, when it was just verbal abuses, Tenten had fought back. Back then, even the slightest comment would send her in search of nearest sharp object. Civilian or not, Tenten would never tolerate such disrespect. Unfortunately, too many fan-girls had been sent to the infirmary on her account that Tsunade had forbid her from raising a finger against them. Of course, Tsunade didn't know how vicious girls could truly be. And after the initial verbal assaults; when they realized Tenten would not fight back, they began stepping up their attacks. _

_Hair pulling, venomous remarks, poisonous rumors; they did everything that jealous school girls did. And she took it all. It wasn't that bad. Tenten didn't care about her clothes getting dirty, or her hair being pulled; she didn't care if occasionally one was brave enough to slap her, or if they spat on her. Of course, they didn't dare try and fight or threaten her with real violence; because of course in a situation such as that, orders from the Hokage or not, Tenten _would_ fight back. As long as their attacks were mere slaps and hair-pulling, Tenten would conform to the orders she was given; standing there taking their abuse_

_"What makes you think you're good enough to be by his side?" A cute blond snidely remarked as the others laughed and kicked more dirt onto the filthy kunoichi._

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..END FLASHBACK.:..:..:..:..:..:..:.._

"Haah." Tenten sighed; sitting down to look up at the sky. "I know that." She leaned herself down into the dirt.

Tenten, better than anyone, knew that she wasn't worthy to be by his side. He was the moon, surrounded by stars that sparkled along side him. But her… she was nothing more than a dirty little field mouse, far from the reaches of the ever brilliant moon above.

"Impossible." Her right hand extended straight up; knowing that she could never reach the moon. "haah." Tenten sighed again; closing her eyes as she tried picturing the moon, beneath the surface of her eyelids; memorizing ever shadow that contoured its surface.

"What is?" A deep baritone voice called out from above her head.

"aha." Tenten's eyes quickly flung open, as she gasped at the sound of his voice. "Neji."

Had she not been so tired; Tenten might have run. Neji was the last person she wanted to see in her current state. It wasn't often the kunoichi fell into a self-pitying mood; but it did happen.

She was only human after all.

After taking the abuse from his fan-girls, Tenten just wasn't in the mood to deal with him. Seeing him only further reminded the kunoichi of how truly insignificant she was in his life.

"You did not show up for practice." Neji's monotone voice spoke up, over the girl's self-bashing thoughts.

"I'm sorry." Tenten meekly replied; her eyes closed as she spoke; still too caught up in her weak emotional state to look at the prodigy.

"hn." Neji stood over the kunoichi in silence; waiting for something, but what that was, Tenten had no idea.

"Do you intend to make yourself ill?" Neji seriously asked.

"huh?" Tenten looked up; wondering what he meant by that.

"…" The prodigy quietly sat down next to the girl. "If you remain in those clothes, you will become sick."

"…" Sitting upright, Tenten looked down at her formerly white training uniform; still damp and caked in mud from her earlier encounter with the fan-girls. "Oh."

If she were her younger self, Tenten would suspect that his concern meant something; but knowing Neji, she was certain his only concern was in assuring he had a sparring partner the following morning.

It slightly stung to think that way, but at the same time, Tenten knew she was overlooking the fact that, he did care; she was his friend, after all.

"Here."

A warm covering was smoothly draped over the kunoichi's shoulders; concealing her form from head to toe as the kunoichi brought her legs up to her chest; wrapping her arms around them. Tenten recognized the material immediately. It was Neji's training shirt; that meant he was only wearing a thin under-shirt.

"Neji, I can't -" She began protesting.

"You'll catch a cold." Neji insisted; firmly wrapping the shirt around the kunoichi, as he slowly brought her deeper into his arms.

Inhaling the scent of Neji's shirt, for some reason made Tenten suddenly feel like crying. All the emotions she had been trying to hold back suddenly came rushing at her. Silently, the tears began pouring out of her, as Tenten tried, in vain, to keep her body from trembling.

She could feel his chest rise and fall with every breath he took; surely, he could feel her sobbing tremors as every painful thought, every hurtful word, slowly began tearing at the girl's heart. Despite being in the arms of the man she loved, Tenten knew the moon was far beyond the grasp of her fingers.

He was besides her, but to him, she was just a friend. It would be best if she simply accepted it…

"Some things are just impossible." The kunoichi mumbled under her breath.

"I don't believe that is true." Neji whispered into her left ear.

"Huh?" Tenten curiously turned to face the white-eyed Hyuga.

Neji's moon-like eyes stared seriously into the kunoichi's honey-tinted eyes. "I have known you look enough to believe that your strength and brilliance rival that of the morning sun. If it's you, I am certain nothing is impossible…"

"…" Tenten stared it's the man's silver eyes.

What did he mean by that?

"And you mustn't forget," Neji brought his left hand up to the kunoichi's cheek; wiping the lingering tears off her face. "I shall always be by your side anytime you need me."

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_****THE END  
_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

* * *

**A/N**: … I'm not so sure about the ending, but it's 2am and I have to get up at 6, so it's good enough… I did most of this yesterday but the ending kept alluding me, so I'm just going to be content with what I got… could have been better though…

Hope the ending wasn't too disappointing… Review and tell me if you understood the meaning of it… thanks for reading… **XD**


	57. Wounded

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!! (_**although THIS ONE, I wouldn't claim even if you paid me!**_)

**A/N**: I was listening to the song "Wounded" by Third Eye Blind… the song inspired this.  
WARNING: ANGST; _this story contains a very very very very bad person whom I wish to slice into teeny tiny pieces and throw them into the deepest darkest depths of hell to be fed on by ravenous dogs for all eternity… but I shall resist…_

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!**_

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**WOUNDED  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

A silent stillness chilled the air, as the usually punctual kunoichi arrived an hour later than the norm. Neji stood and watched the bun-haired girl enter the clearing; meekly smiling apologetically at her teammates.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Tenten shifted her gaze to the dirt floor; tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

"Is something the matter Tenten-san?" Lee voiced the three male's concern.

"…" Tenten shook her head slowly; attempting to compose herself. "It's fine." She whispered in a pained tone.

"Are you certain Tenten-san?" Gai echoed his younger clone's question. "If there is something bothering you, please do not hesitate to ask us for assistance."

It was not the first time Tenten had appeared as if she were on the verge of tears. The depressed demeanor and wounded expression that marred the kunoichi's delicate features had come to be more and more common. Neji had noticed it months earlier; that Tenten was not her usual self. It seemed that Gai and Lee had also taken notice of this.

"Thank you." Tenten lifted her head, trying to smile reassuringly at her teammates.

"Tenten-san." Lee began; clearly wanting to press the issue some more.

"It's fine Lee." Tenten repeated, before swiftly moving toward the clearing so she and Neji could begin their sparring match. "Ready?" She called back to the Hyuga.

"Hn." Neji slowly walked over to where the kunoichi waited; unwrapping her scrolls to begin their match.

A part of him also wanted to know what the reason for her recent behavior was. It upset him to see her so depressed. But as much as Neji wanted to reach out and comfort her, because Tenten had never before spoken of her life outside of training, he did not want to impose. If she wanted to let them know, she would; otherwise, as far as Neji was concerned, it was not his place to force her. It was none of their business.

Everyone was entitled to their own privacy.

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Neji-kun! Tenten-san!" Lee enthusiastically ran up to the sparring pair as they concluded their match; Gai having already departed moments earlier.

"Yes Lee?" Tenten replied breathlessly, as she jumped down from the tree branch she'd perched on during her spar with Neji.

"Naruto-kun has just stopped by to ask if we would join him and the rest of our friends for dinner." Lee happily informed them.

"Oh." The smile on the kunoichi's face swiftly faded. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I won't be able to join you guys." Her eyes shifted nervously, as Tenten quickly began picking up her discarded weapons. "Please send my apologies."

"But, Tenten-san!" Lee began protesting, as the kunoichi finished collecting her scrolls and weapons; strapping the large one over her back as she finished.

"I'll see you guys later." Tenten waved. "Bye." In an instant, the kunoichi disappeared into the darkening forest; leaving her two teammates puzzled as they stared at her retreating back.

"Neji-kun…" Lee worriedly looked over at his other teammate.

"Leave it be." Neji somberly replied; though he himself wanted to chase after the kunoichi and ask why.

"But…" Lee protested.

"Let's go." Neji ignored the other shinobi's protests and began walking toward the village; heading to the restaurant where he was certain the others would be meeting for dinner.

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Sakura-san." Lee solemnly addressed the girl he was infatuated with from across the table.

"Is something the matter Lee?" Sakura asked the boy; concerned over the unusually somber tone in the young green-beast's voice.

"You are good friends with Tenten-san, correct?" Lee cautiously began.

"Lee." Neji sternly glared at the bowl-headed boy; warning him not to continue.

"But Neji-kun…" Lee protested.

"I said, drop it." Neji firmly replied.

"Hey!" Ino loudly interjected; clearly unhappy with being left in the dark. "If this is about Tenten acting odd lately, we have as much right as you do to know; she's our friend too!"

"So you have noticed?" Lee turned to face the blond kunoichi; ignoring the heated glare directed toward him from his white-eyed teammate.

"How could we not?" Sakura replied.

"She's been so distant lately." Ino added. "Completely unlike her usual cheerful, carefree self."

"Tenten-san has also appeared rather tired of late." Hinata timidly volunteered from the other side of the table, sitting between her two teammates.

"Yes!" Lee enthusiastically agreed.

"Perhaps there have been changes in Tenten-san's personal life of late." Shino offered from Hinata's right.

"Like she got a boyfriend or something?" Kiba questioned.

"Wouldn't that would be reason for her to be happy, not sad?" Chouji ask as he munched on a piece of barbequed meat.

"Then what could it be?" Sakura questioned.

"Ano." Hinata hesitantly spoke up again.

"What is it Hinata-chan?" Naruto animatedly shouted, as he turned his full attention to the blue-haired kunoichi.

"It's just…" The young heiress seemed reluctant to contribute to a conversation that took place behind the subject person's back, but something in her compelled her to speak. "Last week, when we went shopping…" Her timid voice came out as a soft whisper; barely audible above the rowdy sounds of the restaurant's other patrons.

"That's right!" Ino jumped out of her seat as she exclaimed. "Tenten had that big bruise on her stomach when we were trying on clothes. Remember Sakura?" She turned to the pink-haired kunoichi, who nodded in response.

"Was it from training?" Chouji asked.

It seemed logical. Bruises and other injuries were common place amongst ninjas. It wouldn't seem at all surprising to see someone with a bandaged limb, or bruised body; in the shinobi world, it was perfectly normal.

"Probably." Ino shrugged. "Maybe she's just been tired lately because Neji's been training her too hard."

Neji glared at the blond kunoichi menacingly. Of course it wasn't him!

"No." Hinata whisperingly protested.

"Huh?" Ino turned to the shy heiress questioningly.

"That was what I was trying to say." Hinata hesitantly continued. "The gentle fist doesn't leave bruises." She informed them.

"It doesn't?" Naruto questioned. "But I had a whole bunch of them when I had my battle with Neji."

"That's because you were knocked around all over the battle field you idiot." Kiba pointed out.

"Oh." Naruto responded.

"Anyway," Ino ignored the two loudmouths. "Then how'd she get that big bruise on her stomach?"

"Perhaps Tenten-san is training extra hours after practice." Shino opined.

"It would explain her fatigue." Shikamaru lazily contributed into their conversation for the first time.

"Yeah, maybe…" Sakura nodded; though not entirely convinced.

"But," Lee protested; speaking up for the first time since he had begun the conversation. "Why would Tenten-san keep that a secret?"

"Maybe she doesn't want to tell you guys until she's reached a certain level in her training." Chouji offered, before taking another slice of meat off the hotplate in the center of the table.

"Perhaps you're right." Lee nodded. "But then why-"

"Enough." Neji rose from his seat; unwilling to continue listening to the conversation.

"What?" Naruto shot up to stop the Hyuga from leaving. "Where are you going?"

"There is none of my concern." Neji replied; pushing Naruto to the side as he left the restaurant.

"How could you say that?" Ino angrily jumped from her seat; glaring at the Hyuga's retreating back. "Don't you care about Tenten at all!?"

**.:.:.:.**

It wasn't that he didn't care. In fact, if anything, Neji cared too much. He wanted to know what was bothering the kunoichi, but he couldn't bring himself to ask. She meant everything to him; he only wished she would trust him enough to tell him what was wrong.

Though Tenten was always by his side, lately it didn't seem like Neji knew her at all. What had changed in the last few months? Could it be that she really was having secret training sessions after their spars?

No. That didn't make sense.

If Tenten were training after hours, she would have to be doing it alone; a bruise on ones stomach, similar to the one the other girls had described, would not be possible when one was training alone.

Then what did it mean?

Neji had to find out.

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

In all the years they had been teammates, Neji had never before been to Tenten's house. He only knew where she lived because he had followed her once when she seemed sick. He had wanted to make sure she arrived home safely.

He didn't know anything about her home life however, and he didn't want to interfere by showing up uninvited. Still, Neji needed to know what was going on with the woman he called his friend.

Slowly creeping to the side of the house, where he was certain the kunoichi would most likely be eating her dinner, Neji moved to activate his Byakugan.

It was not something he would normally do. His clan's bloodlimit was reserved for battle, or training; never for personal use. But for his concern for the female member of his team, Neji never would have disregarded that rule; however, he had to know.

"Byakugan." Neji quietly whispered.

On the other side of the wall, he located Tenten. Surprisingly, however, there was another chakra system along with her. Someone taller; male; possibly older. He wondered just who this man sitting at Tenten's dinner table could possibly be.

A friend? Relative? Lover?

Curiosity getting the better of him, Neji stealthily crept to the window; being certain to carefully conceal his charka presence.

"Are you trying to poison me?" Neji overheard the older man angrily yell out. "This is disgusting." He shoved the food of plate in front of him toward the bun-haired kunoichi.

"I'm sorry." Tenten shamefully lowered her head as she picked up the dish from in front of the older man.

"Leave it." He ordered; snatching hold of her wrists to keep her from taking the plate.

"aha." Gasping, Tenten flinched instinctively; dropping the plate on the floor.

"Look what you've done!" The man accusingly sneered at the kunoichi.

Every muscle in Neji's body wanted to burst through the window and bash the man's skull in. He wasn't sure who this man was, or what his relationship to Tenten might be; but one thing Neji was certain of, no one had a right to talk to Tenten that way.

"I'm sorry." Tenten apologized again.

"You're useless!" The man shouted. "Just like your mother was!"

So that was it.

Suddenly, Neji understood everything. The reason why Tenten had been isolating herself; the reason why she appeared so worn out; why she was so jumpy; why she looked depressed all the time. The man, whoever he was, was abusive.

Neji didn't understand. Why, if things were like that, did Tenten continue to allow herself to be treated so poorly? It didn't seem at all like the Tenten he knew. Perhaps, if this man were her father, then may have been going on for years. It would explain the kunoichi's hesitance to leave such a relationship.

"Worthless." He stepped over Tenten, as she knelt down to pick up the broken shards and food that had fallen. "She couldn't even give me a son!"

Before Neji could even count to ten, to cool his growing rage for the hateful man, Tenten's father grabbed the kunoichi by the hair, pulling her up to her feet. In an instant, Neji burst through the window, grabbing hold of the man's right arm, as it came flying down toward the kunoichi's face.

"Don't. Even. Think. About. It." Neji gripped the other man's arm tightly; resisting the urge to break it off right then and there.

"aha." Tenten gasped. Her head had been turned away in anticipation of the blow she had been expecting. "Neji?" She looked up at her teammate; tears welling up in her eyes. "Why-"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" The vile man Neji had gripped in his hand, yelled.

"You will not harm her." Neji angrily glared at the loathsome man.

"What right do you have to tell me what I can and can not do with what's mine?" He venomously replied.

"She's not your property." Neji replied through clenched teeth.

"…" The man defiantly glared at the Hyuga. "As long as-"

"She's leaving with me." Neji cut the man off before he could make the predictable argument that Neji knew he would. "She won't be here any longer; so you have no claim on her."

"Neji…" Tenten's pained voice cried out.

The Hyuga released his grip of the repulsive man's abhorrent hand. "Come with me." Neji extended his other hand toward the kunoichi.

"I…" She hesitated; unsure of what to do.

"Please." Neji begged; his eyes pleading for her to gather the courage to leave behind her fear and move forward… with him.

Tenten stared into the emotional white gaze of her sparring partner. Neji could see the turmoil going on beneath her hazel eyes. He understood that it was difficult, but he knew that deep down Tenten realized she deserved better. If she allowed it, he would give her, the love that she had been deprived of; all that she deserved. Because he loved her. And if it took the rest of his life, he would teach her how to love herself as much as he did.

Hesitant, but willing, Tenten took the first step and extended her hand out to the Hyuga. "Ok."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

* * *

**A/N**: The ending was difficult to write… not sure how I feel about the transition… but the climax and ending were sweet… As for why there is no "happily ever after" or fluff filled ending… the reason is because it would be too cheap and rushed… The ending is good… it's not the end, it's only the first step.

* * *

_NOTE: The next chapter will probably be the Halloween one… I have a general idea of what I will be going, but what I need, is fears… so far, I have fears of: The Dark, Spiders, Heights, Clowns, Ghosts, Mirrors, Injections/Needles, Water, Closed spaces, Blood, thunder storms, snakes, fear itself… so anyway, please review with any ideas if you have some… thanks_


	58. Haunted Hotspring

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Happy Halloween, hope you have a fun and safe holiday… don't eat too many candies… XP

WARNING: sorry I was writing this last night but it just wasn't working out, so I ended up having to redo it really quickly today… though I used some of the old stuff as flashbacks (cos I liked them and didn't want to exclude them)… it's not my best work, but… it's okay… hope you enjoy it nonetheless

_**As always, THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**HAUNTED HOTSPRING  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Tenten looked around the lavishly decorated room she would be sharing with Neji for the next few days. It was tastefully decorated; but she could expect nothing less from the most well known resort in the all of Fire Country.

The room was ample; and except for the large king size bed, dresser, and romantic pillared hot-tub, there was very little in the room. The walls were done in a muted rose, while the bed covered in a soft white, with red border. There was a fireplace on the opposite side of the hot-tub, and a small book shelf with a few novels on the mantel.

Outside the room, majestic mountain trees covered the landscape, hiding the natural springs that attracted customers from all over the five nations. Winding rose bushes lined trails heading in and out of the forest, as lantern light dimly lit the dark wooded area.

It was beautiful.

"Hah." Tenten sighed.

Too bad, Neji and Tenten weren't there for a romantic get-away.

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**__FLASHBACK__**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

"_Hot-springs!" Naruto excitedly yelled out for the fifteenth time, as the group of ten leaf ninja gathered in the Hokage's office._

"_Enough!" Tsunade reprimanded the blond loudmouth. "I told you already, the ten of you are going on a mission, not on vacation! Got it!?!" The blond sannin slammed her fist on the table._

_Tenten tried not to flinch at the sudden sharpness in her idol's tone, as she observed the crack left on the desk where Tsunade had crashed her fist down. Though she was aware of the Hokage's temper, Tenten had never before been witness to her explosive outbursts. From the look on Naruto's face, however, Tenten deduced it was not his first time._

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah." Naruto waved off the incident, while discretely walking over behind Sakura all the same. "But while we're there, we'll be able to enjoy the hot-springs right?"_

"_Sure." Tsunade snickered; a glint of amusement lit up behind the Hokage's eyes as she mischievously smirked at the blond shinobi. "Anyway, Shikamaru's in charge and will explain the mission on your way to the village near the border of River Country." She turned over toward the rest of the group. "From there, you will be picked up by carriage, to be taken to the hot-springs where you will behave yourself." She turned back to the lecherously smirking Naruto. "Remember, the owner of this establishment is a very good friend of mine. I expect you all" Tsunade paused and glared at the blond knuckleheaded ninja. "To behave professionally."_

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**__FLASHBACK END__**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

"Neji." Tenten looked over at her crush from her side of the room.

"Hn?" Neji acknowledged, without turning to look at the girl.

"Do you think there really might be a curse on this resort?"

"There are no such things as curses." Neji quickly replied; before turning his attention back to the other side of the wall.

Tenten wasn't so sure. Already on just their first day at the resort, three people had fallen victim to the 'curse' Shikamaru had told them about. In total, that brought the mysterious occurrences up to ten disappearances, fifteen hospitalizations, and twenty-seven lesser injuries since this whole cursed rumor started five weeks earlier.

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**__FLASHBACK__**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

"_But no fatalities?" Neji asked, as the group arrived outside the small village located down the mountain from the resort._

"_None that we are aware of." Shikamaru offered . "However." He continued. "Of those that have disappeared, only nine of them have resurfaced on later occasions."_

"_So we're not sure what happened to the tenth victim then?" Chouji asked._

"_Pretty much." Shikamaru nodded._

"_And have any of the current guests reported anything suspicious in the last few days?" Sakura asked from between Lee and Naruto, as the two more energetic shinobi impatiently waited to continue on into the village._

"_Actually…" Shikamaru cautiously began. "There was something."_

"_What?" Ino asked._

"_Well, the mission request lady Tsunade received from the hot-spring owner," The lazy genius took a deep breath, as if he were about to say something even he didn't want to hear. "In it, she mentioned that there have been reports of people seeing a man walking around the resort around midnight." _

"_That's it?" Kiba impatiently asked; just as eager as the two other energetic shinobi to get to the hot-springs and relax his tired muscles. "They see a man?"_

"_He was transparent." Shikamaru added._

"_ekka" Naruto coughed; having been drinking from his water bottle at the moment Shikamaru made his last statement. "Are-are-are you saying…" The terrified shinobi stared wide-eyed at the Nara boy. _

"_So it's a ghost?" Kiba skeptically asked._

"_A-a-a gha-gha-ghost?" Naruto trembled stiffly; trying in vain to hide his feeling of utter terror._

"_There's no such thing as ghosts." Neji opinioned._

"_But…" Naruto began protesting._

"_Neji's right." Shikamaru nodded. "It's more likely someone used a genjutsu to convince people into believing that there really is a curse." _

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**__FLASHBACK END__**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

"Well," Tenten got up from lying on the bed and began walking over toward Neji; determined to finally make the pig-headed Hyuga realize what was right in front of him. "If it really is just some shinobi doing all this, shouldn't we be out there?" Walking up behind the white-eyed prodigy, Tenten boldly wrapped her arms around the man's broad shoulders; leaning her body into his muscular back. "It'd be nice if we got to enjoy a little of the resort you know."

"Hn." Neji grunted; his back stiffening as he felt the kunoichi press into him. "This is a mission. We are not here for leisure time."

"I know." Tenten replied; a slight whine in her tone, as she attempted to seduce the ice-cold Hyuga, to no avail. "It's just," Putting her chin to rest on the Hyuga's right shoulder; she paused and gently blew into his ear. "It's not every day we get to go somewhere this..."

"Ten-" Neji turned to face the girl in the light pink kimono.

"AHHH!" A terrified scream exploded outside their room. Quickly, the pair ran out to see what had occurred.

Tenten watched as a frantic blond girl, in an orange kimono came running towards them.

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**__FLASHBACK.__**:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

_The group had arrived outside the assigned village within two days, having, upon the urge of Naruto and Lee, run through Fire Country at top speed. Tenten had felt exhausted, but she wasn't the type to complain. _

"_Alright, Shikamaru," Naruto excitedly bounced up and down; irritating the lazy genius, as well as the seven other ninja, with the exception of Lee, as they watched the blond shinobi's display of unending energy._

"_Could you stop that." Shikamaru muttered in annoyance. It wasn't a request._

"_Fine." Naruto stopped bouncing, before dropping himself down on the grassy floor next to Sakura. "Just finish telling us what the rest of the mission is."_

"_..." Shikamaru smirked. "You shouldn't be so excited Naruto." The lazy-nin's bored voice dully informed the eager blond; but a mischievous glimmer in the back of the Nara's usually listless eyes, betrayed the possibility that there was some hidden meaning to his earlier words._

"_eh?" Naruto tilted his head curiously; waiting for an explanation._

"_As previously mentioned," Shikamaru sluggishly began. "Our mission is to go undercover. We'll be splitting up into pairs, and staying in the resort as guests."_

"_Yeah, yeah, we've heard all this." Kiba replied; stretching his tired limbs out on the grassy clearing, Neji had found for them, just outside the city._

"_Yes." Shikamaru patiently replied. "But what neither lady Tsunade, nor I, told you, was what kind of resort this is."_

"_Huh?" Ino confusedly spoke up. "I thought it was a hot-spring resort."_

"_Yeah." Sakura agreed. "That was what lady Tsunade told us."_

"_That's true." Shikamaru nodded; leaning up against a tree to support his tired body. "But it's more than that."_

"_Just tell us already." Tenten pressed the lazy genius. _

_She knew that for someone like Shikamaru to beat around the bush, whatever it was they were about to enter into, it had to be either something really unpleasant that the lazy Nara felt they needed to be eased into, or something incredibly amusing; and he was trying to get as much pleasure out of it as possible. Considering the smirk on both his and lady Tsunade's faces, and the fact that Shikamaru was standing instead of sitting down like the rest of them, Tenten felt confident it was most likely the latter._

"_It's a couple's resort." Shikamaru bluntly stated._

_Tenten tried not to blush. She had been thinking that a hot-spring would be a great romantic get-away for her and Neji, even if they were going there for a mission. She had hoped it might provide them with some time alone so she could finally tell the Hyuga how she felt about him. She had been a little nervous about it, but now, to find out it was a couple's resort… it would surely make the experience all the more intimate; and all the more intimidating._

"_Wait a minute." Tenten looked around the small clearing._

_Shino, having been occupied on a mission with his father, had been unable to accompany the rest of their group on the mission, leaving the Konoha 11, as they'd become known in the village, with an even number of players. If they were supposed to split up into pairs, ten made things much simpler than eleven. The only problem, was…_

"_There are six males." Neji voiced Tenten's observation._

"_Yeah." Shikamaru smirked. _

"_Yeah?" Naruto interrupted from the other side of the clearing. "So what's the big deal?" He absent-mindedly asked._

"_The 'deal'" Ino explained; understanding what the three others were getting at. "Is that there's not an even number of males and females."_

"_Which means," Chouji continued for his female teammate. "Someone is going to have to disguise himself as a girl."_

"_heh." Kiba chuckled from beside Hinata. "Gee, I wonder which sexy-no-jutsu using shinobi it's going to be."_

"_Naruto." Hinata sympathetically whispered, as she looked over at the blond shinobi who hadn't seemed to get it yet._

"_What!!!" Naruto jumped up anxiously from his spot on the grassy floor, next to the pink haired kunoichi, as he finally understood the implication. "ME?!"_

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**__FLASHBACK END__**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

"What is it Naruto?" Tenten asked the transformed blond.

"I-I-" The girl Naruto panted. "A-a- gha-gha-"

"A ghost?" Tenten finished for the boy.

"mhm." The blond faux-girl nodded. (_lol_)

"Did you see anything Lee?" Neji asked the bowl-haired boy running up to them.

"Sorry Neji-kun." Lee shook his head. "But I did not see anything."

"How is that possible?" Tenten asked her long-haired teammate.

Unless Naruto's fear of ghosts had made him image the apparition, how was it possible, if he and Lee were together the whole time, for one of them to see something, but not the other?

"If it is a genjutsu," Neji began explaining. "It would be possible that the one using it, only intended for Naruto to see the apparition."

"But…" Tenten furrowed her brow in confusion. "Why?"

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

"So the count is up to thirty injuries in the last two days." Ino leaned her head back on the rocks lining the hot-spring pool. "How can that be, with us being here… and still, this stuff is still going on?"

"At least there haven't been any more disappearances." Hinata offered her dejected-looking friend.

"That's true." Sakura nodded; trying to cheer up their blond friend; though a bit surprised to see the girl taking their mission so seriously.

"Agh!" Ino let out a frustrated groan. "What's the point in coming to a romantic hot-spring if we can't enjoy the ambiance?"

"Oh so that's why…" Sakura knowingly smirked.

"Ano." Hinata timidly interrupted, before the two best friends could begin their argument.

"Yeah Hinata?" Tenten looked over at her reddening best-friend; this time turning crimson for reasons other than her overwhelming shyness.

"I think I will be heading back to my room now." Hinata quietly stated; rising to her feet as she grabbed the towel next to her on the pool's edge and wrapped it around her body to get out of the hot-spring.

"Yeah me too." Sakura agreed; also getting up to leave the pool.

"mhm." Ino nodded. "I think we've been here long enough."

"Well," Tenten sighed; leaning her head back into the smooth rocks of the pool wall. "I could still use a few more minutes to relax."

"Okay." Sakura nodded as the three girls began leaving the pool area. "Just remember not to stay in too long. The heat can be dangerous, if you start feeling light-headed, you should leave the pool immediately." The pink-haired medic advised.

"Sure." Tenten nodded; relieved to have a little alone time with her thoughts.

As the kunoichi watched her three friends disappear into the changing room, Tenten wondered if perhaps they _had_ been in the hot-spring for enough time already. Looking down at her pruning skin, Tenten realized that maybe she should have gotten out as well. Still, she did not want to go back to her room just yet.

Earlier, it had taken all her courage to try and come on to the dense Hyuga, in hopes that he'd have some sort of reaction to her advances. Unfortunately, the only thing that had resulted from her flirtatious attempts, was that Tenten now realized how impossible the situation truly was. Neji hadn't even reacted to the girl's touch. Perhaps he was just so used to the feel of her hands, from the many close-combat spars they had had, that her touch no longer registered to him as foreign at all. Still, that hadn't been the type of touch she normally approached him with, so he _should have_ reacted in some way… right?

"hah." Tenten closed her tired eyes as she leaned her head back to rest on the pool's edged. "Maybe I should just admit to myself that he's just not interested." She sighed dejectedly.

Deciding not to think about it, since the whole point of a hot-spring was to relax and enjoy ones self, Tenten quickly submerged her head into the warm water, clearing her mind of any lingering thoughts, before coming back up to breath in the cool evening air. She didn't need the extra stress of thinking about what a failure she was when it came to attracting the man she loved. She would just sit there and enjoy the silence.

The water felt great. After a few minutes, the warmth began making Tenten's head feel relaxed and fuzzy.

"Fuzzy?" Tenten drowsily opened her eyes.

The surrounding area suddenly looked steamer than it previously had. Fluttering her eyes open, by sheer will, Tenten decided maybe it was time to get out of the hot-spring.

"ah." Tenten struggled to stand.

Yes, it was time to get out.

Already she could feel her numb limbs begin to loose all their strength. Tenten knew that if she didn't get out of the hot-spring soon, she might faint from the heat and could even drown in the pool.

"um." The weapons mistress began pulling her soaked body toward the ledge where she had left her wet towel extended into the pool to keep it warm for when she decided to step out in it.

Walking over to grab her towel, the bun-haired kunoichi suddenly stopped near the foot of the pools stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she spotted something. Her weapons were too far for her to reach and her mind too drowsy for her to come up with any strategy. So Tenten did the only thing she could think to do at that moment.

"AHHHHH!!!!" The kunoichi screamed at the top of her lungs.

In part, she was hoping the scream would attract some help, but also she was hoping it would serve to scare away the dark figure she had spotted at the other side of the pool area.

Rushing to get to her towel, where her weapons were hidden under, Tenten quickly climbed up the stairs. Just as she was half way out of the water, the door to the hot-spring suddenly burst open.

"TEN-"

"Ne-" Tenten quickly ducked back into the pool, as a red-faced Hyuga swiftly turned to avert his eyes; his right hand abruptly flying up to cover his face.

"What happened?" Kiba yelled as the rest of their group came charging into the stream-filled area.

"Oi, Neji" Naruto ran in last; still having trouble adjusting to the shoes Ino had found him for the trip. "Why's your nose-"

"Shut up." Neji growled; lifting his long white sleeve up to wipe the red liquid running down his chin. (**1**)

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

After that, less than pleasant, incident in the pool, Tenten hadn't been able to look Neji in the face for days. Fortunately they had managed to capture the culprit causing chaos at the hot-spring. It turned out, it was some perverted shinobi, trying to follow in Jiraiya's footsteps to write an erotic novel and had been conducting 'research' at the famous Kasai Ren'ai Hot-spring Resort. (**2**) The man had been severely punished, and forbidden to ever write an erotic novel by the Hokage; lest he should have to face being beaten to a bloody pulp by the many anti-Icha-Icha feminist organizations in Fire Country.

Tente's plan to admit her feelings to Neji in a romantic get-away had been thwarted; first by his obliviousness, and then by the fact that they couldn't seem to look at each other the rest of the trip. But in the end, Tenten came to the conclusion, that overall, it had been a sucessful trip; both in respect to the mission, and her own personal goals.

Even though she made no progress with Neji, Tenten knew that at least one good thing good thing did come out the whole experience.

As Tenten looked over at her sparring partner from across the clearing while the two prepared themselves for their morning spar, the kunoichi couldn't help but noticed the slight pink tint in the boy's usually pale skin.

'Huh.' Tenten smirked as she took her stance. 'Maybe it's not so hopeless after all.'

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**A/N**: I started this at 8pm last night, but kept taking so many breaks, it was ridiculous… so I figured I'd just go to bed and hope the ending came to me in the morning…

Sorry… last scene was a little rushed but I'm on my way out to buy some pizza to celebrate my little brother's 17th birthday today, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back online… But I wanted to get this in before Halloween was over… anyway I hope you liked it… it wasn't one of my best.. but it wasn't horrible…

FOOTNOTES:  
(**1**) Who here doesn't know the meaning of a bloody nose?... lol… especially in light of what Neji just saw…  
(2) Name of the resort.. means fire (kasia) passion (ren'ai)


	59. Koudo

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**WARNING**: It's… a bit different… not my usual style… but it's something I've been mulling over in my head for a while… so I just had to write it.

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**KOUDO  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:- (**__1__**)**_

It had been months since he had last returned to the Village Hidden in the Leaves; years, since he had been there during the day time hours. Usually, his missions allowed for little more than a few hours between each, before the twenty-six-year-old shinobi was quickly sent away on another long distance assignment.

His missions were also unique in that they consisted of months, even years, away from the village, instead of the usual days or weeks. Koudo was used to it though; he had, after all, been going on these long-term missions since he was fourteen years old. He regretted that he wasn't what one would consider a stable person, but he had a reason for doing what he did; he had someone that motivated him to take on such difficult and arduous missions, all in an effort to make _her_ life easier.

Now, having returned to the village he hadn't seen in over half a year, Koudo was impatient to see her again.

He had finished debriefing with the Hokage as quickly as possible, before immediately going to see if she was home; but she wasn't. Standing outside the unfamiliar barbeque restaurant, Koudo entered, hoping to find the person he was told to seek.

"Oi." He walked up determinedly, to the large table in the back, where a group of ten teenagers were seated, waiting for their lunch to arrive. "Are you Hyuga Neji?" He asked the long haired boy sitting at a corner of the long table.

"…" The boy remained silent; staring inquisitively at Koudo.

From his eyes, Koudo was certain the young man was a Hyuga. He had been told by many in the village that the boy often associated with another boy whose shiny black hair was shaped in the form of a bowl; Koudo assumed the boy with the thick brows sitting next to the Hyuga was _that_ boy.

"Yeah that's him." A spiky haired blond boy exclaimed. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm looking for someone." Koudo replied; moving over to the table where the group was seated, before calmly pulling a chair out to sit in front of the Hyuga.

"Oh?" The blond girl sitting next to the one with pink hair cocked her head to side as she quickly scanned Koudo up and down; smiling approving at the older shinobi. "Well if it's a girl you're looking for, you found her big boy." She smiled seductively; winking at him as she asked.

"As a matter of fact," Koudo turned his attention to the blond girl; ignoring her flirtatious attempts, which seemed to bother the girl considerably, but she hid it well. "It _is_ a girl I am looking for. A very special girl with an adorable face, cute smile, beautiful big brown eyes, long brown hair, and a slightly disturbing fascination with sharp pointy things."

"She sounds charming." The blond girl wearily replied; seemingly unnerved by the description of the girl Koudo had given, as well as offended by the fact that he had failed to succumb to her feminine charms.

"Actually…" The boy with the bowl-shaped haircut spoke up. "She sounds like our precious flower." He addressed the Hyuga sitting next to him.

"Hn." Neji grunted; without responding to the assertion.

"Precious flower?" Koudo repeated; unnerved at the possibility that the strange boy really might be referring to the same girl he was looking for.

"Now that you mention it Lee…" The pink haired girl addressed the bowl-haired boy. "That _does_ sound like Tenten."

"Tenten?" Koudo turned toward the pink-haired girl. "Then you know her?"

"Yeah, we do." A spiky haired boy with red markings on his face replied. "How do _you_ know Tenten?"

"How?" Koudo repeated; running his fingered though his messy brown hair. "Well I've known Tenten since I was eight years old." He informed the group. "She's the most important person in the world to me."

Koudo noticed the Hyuga boy's clenched jaw as he mentioned that last part. Since entering the restaurant, the older shinobi had taken notice of the Hyuga boy's reactions. It seemed to him, that Neji had been apprehensive to deal with Koudo to begin with, but upon the mention of Tenten's name, the white-eyed boy had seemed to turn visibly, though subtly, hostile toward him. Koudo wondered if perhaps there was something between Neji and his beloved Tenten; though he had questioned this even before meeting the young Hyuga.

"Neji-kun." Koudo addressed the Hyuga by first name; which seemed to irritate the young man, much to Koudo's delight. "You know, everyone I asked today, told me that to find Tenten, all I had to do was find Hyuga Neji." He paused to observe the boy's reaction; trying to see if the Hyuga's stoic expression might reveal something from what he was about to ask. "So tell me, just how intimate are you and my beautiful Tenten?"

"Pardon me?" Neji nearly chocked on the water he had been drinking, as he looked over at the older shinobi in stunned disbelief. Koudo wasn't sure if the shock were due to the word 'intimate' or the 'beautiful' in his statement, but either way, it hadn't seemed to sit well with the Hyuga boy. This, Koudo decided, was beginning to get interesting.

"Well, I never imagined my Tennie-chan would go for the pretty-boy type actually." Koudo replied. He noticed a glimmer of heated rage cross the Hyuga's eyes at the simple word 'my', thus adding to the older shinobi's interest in what the relationship between this boy and his Tenten really was.

"I believe you have misunderstood." Neji recomposed himself. "Tenten and I are merely teammates."

"Is that so?" Koudo questioned. From the boy's initial reaction, Koudo seriously doubted that was all there was between the two. "Good then." He nodded; silently observing the younger shinobi as he spoke, for a hint or clue of what he believed to be hidden beneath the surface. "Well, it's better that way. I wasn't about to let you have her just like that anyway." Again, he paused to observe the boy's reaction; which, much to his amusement, seemed subtly angered and unnerved by the declaration that Koudo wouldn't allow for the boy to date his Tenten. "Glad to hear you're nothing more than teammates."

"Hn." The Hyuga boy grunted; clearly unhappy with what Koudo had said. "She is also my friend." He asserted.

"Yeah?" Koudo smirked challengingly. "Well she's a lot more than that to me, so if you're expecting more than friendship from _my_ Tenten, you should know you'll have to take her from me!"

With those words, Koudo stood from his seat to begin leaving the restaurant. "Oh…" He turned to face the group one last time. "When you see Tenten, let her know I'm looking for her." He added.

"Hey!" The blond spiky haired boy stood up angrily, glaring at him; almost as if he were angered _for_ the emotionless Hyuga. "You can't talk to Neji that way! Tenten may be your most important person, but Neji's definitely Tenten's most important person!" he shouted.

"Is that so?" Koudo smirked at the hint of embarrassment in the Hyuga as the knowing smiles of his eight other friends turned to look at him. "Well I seriously doubt that…" he asserted.

"Yeah?" The blond boy continued. "And just who do you think you are anyway?"

"Me?" Koudo pointed at himself; at the same time wondering what was wrong with that blond kind that he would take a challenge to his friend more personally than the boy himself. "I'm Tenten's --"

"Koudo?!" A familiar feminine voice interrupted the twenty-six-year old.

Quickly, he turned around; coming face to face with none other than the very girl he had come in search of. "Ten?" Koudo abruptly rose from his seat; sending the chair he was sitting on crashing down to the floor.

"Hah" Tenten gasped; running to the older man, jumping straight into his arms, before being lifted into the air, in a crushing embrace. "What … what are you doing here?" She cheerfully asked; completely oblivious to the surprised and astonished expressions of her ten friends. "I thought you weren't due to come back from your mission for another three months." She added, as the older shinobi reluctantly set the girl down after their warm greeting; quickly glancing over to the Hyuga boy, who, much to his utter amusement, looked about as pissed off as someone with frozen facial expressions could have.

"Finished early." Koudo smiled down at the equally elated girl. "And I just couldn't wait to see my beautiful princess, so I ran as fast I could to get here."

"Oh my god!" Tenten threw her arms around him again; her wide smile demonstrating to the world just how happy she really was. "How long are you staying?"

"Not sure." Koudo shrugged; pulling her close, but far enough so he could still see her face.

The smile on his face was becoming painful, but he was just too happy to stop. The girl he held wrapped in his arms was the single most important person in the world to him. To see her so cheerful and best of all, excited, to see him, really made him feel happy and grateful. But the look in the Hyuga's eyes just added to his enjoyment of the current situation.

Koudo wasn't sure why it was, considering he had just met the white-eyed shinobi, but seeing the rage and obvious jealousy in the boy's eyes gave the older shinobi great pleasure. And he was prepared to milk that for as long as possible…

"Hah." Tenten gasped; turning to the group of teens standing directly behind them, as if only now realizing their presence. "Everyone…" She quickly pulled Koudo over to the table where he'd previously been sitting. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you all to Koudo." She gestured toward him, before turning back to the group of teens. "Koudo, these are my friends," She began gesturing at each from right to left. "Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Chouji, Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, Naruto, Lee and Neji."

"Pleasure." Koudo nodded; sneaking his arms around the bun-haired girl, from behind, as he calmly pulled the girl's back into his chest; all the while noticing the twitching nerve on the side of the Hyuga's head.

"So those two are your teammates right?" The older shinobi asked the girl curiously; indicating toward Neji and the bowl-haired boy Tenten had called Lee.

"Yeah." Tenten nodded. "I told you about them before didn't I?"

"Probably, but I guess was too preoccupied to really listen to smaller details, since I usually only ever make overnight visits before I had to take off on my next mission." He suggestively replied; gauging the Hyuga's reaction to his implied innuendo.

As he expected, the boy seemed to tense further, as he venomously glared at Koudo.

"Speaking of which…" The off-duty shinobi yawned loudly. "I'm a little tired. Did you ever get that double bed I asked you to get? Or I'm I going to get stuck in that tiny little twin-size you've had since you were eight?"

Tenten shook her head. "I've only had that bed since I was twelve." She corrected him; not realizing the insinuation their statements might imply to outside observers.

"No" Koudo shook his head in reply. "I distinctly remember buying you that bed when you were eight; after you destroyed the canopy bed you got at four, because… and I quote 'warrior princesses don't sleep in frilly beds'." He chuckled as he noticed the blood rushing to the kunoichi's face.

"Shut up." Tenten mumbled; crimson color quickly rising to her cheeks. "You're not supposed to remember embarrassing things like that."

"What are you talking about, that's exactly what I'm supposed to do!" Koudo teased, before turning back to the group of teens who had been silently listening and watched the two's exchange. "Did you guys know that Tennie slept with a stuffed panda until she was sixteen?"

"Shut up, shut up!" Tenten turned, softly slamming her fists against Koudo's muscular chest. "Don't listen to him! He's a big liar!" She added, to her friends.

"What was his name again?" Koudo teased; playfully tapping his chin with his finger as if he were thinking very hard. "Oh yes, Prince Fluffikens!" He exclaimed loudly.

"It was _Captain_ Fluffikens." Tenten corrected. "And shut up. Quit remembering things." She mumbled under her breath.

"Ano." The Hyuga girl timidly broke into the conversation. "Tenten-san?"

"Yes Hinata?" Tenten turned to her blue haired friend; grateful for the interruption.

"How…" The girl hesitantly began.

"How exactly do you know each other?" The blond girl Tenten had called Ino asked the two.

"We're lovers." Kouda replied; eyeing the white-eyed shinobi out of the corner of his eye.

"Stop that!" Tenten smacked her hand against the older shinobi's forehead. "Don't say inappropriate things like that!"

"So you're _not_ lovers?" The spiky-haired boy named Kiba curiously asked; a lecherous smirk visibly showing.

"No!" Tenten heatedly denied. "He's just my idiot older brother!" She informed the group.

A relieved expression wash over the Hyuga, as Tenten cleared up the obvious misunderstanding that Koudo had purposefully created; confirming the older shinobi's earlier suspicions that perhaps the boy had some feelings for his precious little sister.

"That's right." Koudo nodded; letting go of Tenten, before walking back over to the table where the white-eyed shinobi sat. Putting his hand down on the table to support him, as he leaned down to be at eye level with the Hyuga, Koudo knowingly smirked at the boy. "But I meant what I said." He whispered for only the Hyuga to hear. "I'm _not_ going to let you have her without a fight…"

The boy defiantly glared at Koudo. Not a word was said, but the older shinobi knew that his challenge had been accepted. He wasn't sure how long he would be in Konoha, but he knew one thing for sure, things were going to be very, very interesting…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END…? … or not…  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

FOOTNOTES:

(1) Koudo means Hades (as in hell) and Earth… you know, like Heaven and Hell, or Heaven and Earth?...There's a link on my profile to a PIX of **KOUDO**

* * *

_**IMPORTANT NOTE: I'm nearing the end of FIVE NOBLE CLANS, so for a while I probably won't be updating here much… Also, in December, I'll be very busy with school (final exams, which will be deadly this time around), and then I'll be going on vacation for a whole month, so I might not get to do the holiday chapters until after the holiday's… or if I'm lucky, I might be able to post something (probably short), before the holidays… so if you guys have any suggestions, start sending them in now… thanks ****XD**_


	60. Brother

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I should be working on FIVE NOBLE CLANS… but since I got so many reviews telling me how much you liked the previous chapter, I decided I'd write this one before finishing 5NC (what can I say, reviews encourage me **XP**) … it's not done yet though… there will be one more chapter to this story… Then I'll go back to finishing up 5NC…

_**Once again, THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

Anonymous REVIEWS: Sorry I can't reply, but thanks to the four of you who left those reviews, I really appreciate it. ;)

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**BROTHER  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Tenten watched her childish sensei and her equally immature older brother laugh uncontrollably as Team Gai and Koudo walked toward the hillside overlooking Konoha. It had been Gai's idea to take the day off from training, in order to have a picnic with her brother, so that the team could get to know Koudo.

Tenten had been against the idea from the start.

It wasn't often her brother had a day off from missions. She didn't want to put him through the ordeal of getting familiarized with Gai and Lee on his first break in nearly ten years; nothing in that idea could possibly be good.

And while at first, she had merely thought it was a bad idea, seeing her big brother actually getting along with Gai and Lee, made the picnic an even more dread-worthy experience then anything else she could think of.

The thought of Gai and Koudo getting along just didn't sit well with the kunoichi; she didn't want to imagine him dressed in a hideous green spandex jumpsuit.

"Agh." Tenten shuttered at the mental image.

"Hn." Neji smirked, as the two walked together, a few yards behind the three laughing lunatics. "Green spandex?" He asked; reading the kunoichi's mind.

"Yeah." Tenten nodded weakly; not at all surprised that he had known exactly what she had been thinking.

The kunoichi turned back to watching her brother and sensei; trying to ignore the lingering image of a Gai-version Koudo walking along side the other two spandex-clan ninja.

On the other hand, Tenten was also kind of grateful that her teammates would finally get to meet her brother; all four of them, after all, were the most important men in her life. The problem was, however, that it didn't seem like Neji and Koudo were really getting along all that well.

"Hey Neji." Tenten turned to observe her white-eyed companion, as the three other shinobi once again burst into laughter at some joke Koudo made.

"Hn?" Neji grunted; indicating to her that he was listening.

"What did my brother say to you the other day?" Tenten cautiously asked.

She had noticed the previous day, when Koudo arrived, Neji had seemed rather irritated. He had become even more heated when Koudo leaned down and said something for only the Hyuga to hear. Tenten had asked her brother what he had said to Neji, but Koudo, being Koudo, only teased her and told her it was a secret. Past that, she had gotten nothing other than jokes and teasing.

The kunoichi could only imagine what idiotic thing her foolish big brother said to the Hyuga to have him constantly glaring at the older shinobi.

"Well?" Tenten pressed; hoping she could get out of Neji what she couldn't out of Koudo.

"Nothing in particular." Neji replied; though Tenten could tell he was not being entirely forthcoming.

"You're not telling me something." Tenten charged; not quite accusing him of lying, but in fact that was what she was implying.

"It was nothing of importance." Neji insisted; directing his vision forward to indicate to the kunoichi that he would prefer she drop the matter.

But Tenten wasn't about to do that. She really wanted to know.

Koudo and Neji were both very important to her, and she wanted them to get along. If Koudo had said anything to Neji, Tenten really didn't want the Hyuga to take it out of context. Her brother was a great guy, but he was sometimes easily misunderstood. Of course, that was usually purposeful on Koudo's part; he just seemed to enjoy confusing people.

"Are you sure?" Tenten persisted. "He mentioned something about a 'man to man' talk, but I wonder about what…" She smiled at the Hyuga as innocently as she could muster, hoping that would coax Neji into telling her.

"ack." Neji chocked; tripping on his own feet as the two of them continued following the three other picnic-goers

"Neji!" Tenten yelled out; barely managing to grab hold of his oversized shirt, but not quick enough to prevent both of them from tumbling over from the weight of the falling Hyuga.

"TENTEN!" Koudo ran over to the two fallen teammates.

"…" She had braced herself for some kind of impact as the two sparring partners fell to the ground, but it never came. Even with Neji under her, Tenten had expected that she would still end up landing awkwardly and eventually hitting the forest floor; but she didn't. Opening her tightly clenched eyes, Tenten looked down to see Neji's arms warped tightly around her; preventing her from landing anywhere else but on him.

He had cushioned her fall completely. But when had he managed to spin himself around to do that?

"Oi!" Koudo walked over to the pair. "Are you planning on letting go of my sister anytime soon Hyuga?" Before Neji could reply, Koudo quickly ripping the kunoichi out of his arms, all the while glaring menacingly at the white-eyed prodigy; almost as if what he really wanted to do was rip the Hyuga's arms off completely.

"I'm fine." Tenten informed Koudo before he could even ask, as he helped her rise to her feet.

"Are you sure?" Koudo worriedly began inspecting his little sister. "You didn't get hurt? You didn't land weird? No bumps? Cuts? Bruises?" He near-frantic asked, as he quickly scanned the girl's body; checking her head, arms, and legs for any signs of injury.

"Stop that!" Tenten pushed her brother away just as he was about to reach for her shirt to check her stomach. "You're doing it again!" She pushed the older shinobi down on to the forest floor.

"But Tennie-chan…" Koudo pouted childishly up at the kunoichi. "What if you got hurt?"

"I'm a freaking NINJA you idiot! I get hurt all the time!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah but…"

"Oh just forget it." Tenten shook her head incredulously, before turning back to face the other shinobi laid out on the forest floor. "Are you okay Neji?" She asked the bewildered Hyuga.

"Hai." Neji nodded, before brushing himself off as he stood to his feet.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_

"Your brother is…" Neji hesitated, as he and Tenten walked through the forest.

They had finished their picnic early due to the Hokage calling Koudo away. Afterwards, Gai and Lee and decided that, even though practice was to be cancelled, they would take a 'leisurely' five hundred-lap run around Konoha. Neji and Tenten, on the other hand, had opted for a simple stroll in the woods, since neither of them had come dressed for training.

"Yeah, I know…" Tenten weakly smiled. "He's… Well, he's Koudo." She shrugged.

"He seems very over protective of you." Neji observed.

"You could say that." She apologetically smiled, remembering the threatening way her brother had glared at Neji before leaving to speak with the Hokage.

"Hn." Neji smirked.

Overprotective, of course, was an understatement, to say the least.

"Has he always been like that?" The Hyuga asked curiously.

"Pretty much." Tenten nodded.

She had never spoken to her teammates about her family life, other than to tell them she was an orphan once, when Lee had asked her why she lived alone. They had known she had a lived with her grandmother, who died when Tenten was only six. But other than that, the kunoichi had left the topic of family out of any conversations, especially because she knew how sensitive the Hyuga prodigy was to subject.

"It was different when granny was still alive." Tenten offered; noticing Neji observing her out of the corner of his eye.

It seemed, the Hyuga's curiosity had been peeked; though Tenten knew he was hardly the type to willingly admit it.

"After dad died, and mom..." The kunoichi paused emotionally.

She had never spoken about her mother to anyone before. Mostly Tenten had never known her, since the woman had left shortly after giving birth to the kunoichi; leaving Tenten and an eight year old Koudo to live with their grandmother. Despite Koudo's unending show of affection to compensate for the maternal love Tenten had been denied of, the kunoichi had still felt a hallow in her heart that never seemed to go away. She had forgotten about it though. After meeting her team and growing to love them, the emptiness in her heart had been replaced by the presence of those three men; especially Neji.

"She left." Tenten finished in a quiet whisper.

"…" Neji gently reach out to take hold of her hand; reassuringly squeezing it, letting her know it was okay if she wanted to talk about it or not.

"Koudo…" She continued. "He never wanted me to feel abandoned." She explained. "That's why… even though it seems weird at times… His showering me with attention and love… and lots of stuff…" She paused; thinking about the small armory in her house.

"Your weapons?" Neji smirked knowingly.

"Yeah." Tenten nodded; smiling amusingly as they both eyed the small scroll she carried on her person at all times.

The two silently walked on as Tenten considered all that her brother had done for her over the years.

He was a good brother; always looking out for her and trying his best to provide her with everything she could ever need. After their grandmother had died, following a draw-out illness, Koudo had begun taking long-term missions away from the village. He had done it in order to pay off the bills that accumulated from their grandmother's hospital visits, but also to provide for Tenten and himself.

"Our grandmother died when I was six." Tenten continued. "At fourteen, Koudo became the head of our household." She paused; collecting her thoughts to best articulate what she was trying to say. "But even before that, Koudo had been the only parent I ever really knew. He had always tried to keep me happy; if not perhaps slightly distracted." She softly chuckled at the memories of her brother trying to keep her away from any school functions that had anything to do with parents. "But really, the only thing I ever wanted was to have him near." She paused to steady her quivering voice. "He figured it out though. But by then this was already the way things were." She explained; referring to Koudo's profession of taking long-term assignments. "And he didn't know how to be anything else… so he became more obsessed with giving me a vast amount of attention when he _was_ here, so that I wouldn't feel unloved…"

"I see." Neji slowly nodded understandingly, as the two came close to the edge of the forest, just outside Tenten's neighborhood.

"I'm very lucky to have him." Tenten shyly asserted as they neared her house.

"He -" Neji began.

"TENNIE!" Koudo interrupted the Hyuga as he raced over from the front door to grab hold of his little sister.

"Koudo!" Tenten tried pulling herself out of her brother's crushing embrace; it was almost as horrible as one of Gai's hugs. "You're smothering me…" She pushed him away with her free arm.

"Oh, sorry." Koudo released his iron grip on the girl. "Guess what!"

"What?" Tenten rubbed her soar muscles as she look up at her smiling brother.

"I've got a new assignment." The older shinobi cheerfully informed the girl.

"Oh…" Tenten tried to keep the disappointed tone out of her voice as she smiled encouragingly at her older brother's enthusiasm. She had expected it. But still, a part of her had hoped because he had arrived early from his prior mission that he would actually stay in the village a little longer this time.

"It's a pretty interesting mission too." Koudo continued. "It's going to be kind of far though…" He explained. "But here's the good part." The eager shinobi's smile grew excitedly. "It's a two man job!"

"Oh." She replied in surprise this time.

It was rare when Koudo was assigned missions that weren't solo operations.

Since long-term assignments generally consisted of undercover work, it was often easier to send in one new face to a town or village, instead of two or more. For that reason, Koudo usually never got to work with anyone else, unless it was a very long mission.

"How long this time?" She softly questioned; trying to hide her growing disappointment.

"Probably a year." He replied. "Maybe longer."

"Oh." Tenten nodded; her hand unconscious squeezing onto Neji's as the Hyuga slowly started moving closer, silently communicating that he was there for her.

"But wait, there's more." Koudo excitedly proclaimed. "I get to choose who."

"Huh?" Tenten stared over at her brother in confusion.

"Yeah." He nodded. "And this time, I'm taking you with me."

"Wha…" Tenten was at a loss for words.

"So what do you think?"

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**TBC…  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

**A/N**: I do love my cliff-hangers… but no worries, we all know how I always end my stories so… yeah… well almost one… off to bed now… **REVIEW!**


	61. Asking Too Much

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto; but I own Koudo!

**A/N**: A little ShikaTem nugget at the beginning… but very little. You might even miss it if you're not looking. **XP**… also, a bit of an explanation at the end of this chapter, in case people might be a bit confused… Anyway, enjoy! And read the two important notes at the bottom please.

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**ASKING TOO MUCH  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji stared up blankly into the sky.

For the first time he understood why Shikamaru enjoyed cloud watching. Somehow, gazing at the blue sky as the drifting clouds slowly hovered by, had a tranquil feeling that completely cleared the mind of undesirable thoughts.

And that was exactly what the Hyuga needed.

It had already been three days since Tenten's brother had returned to Konoha; two, since he had offered Tenten to join him on his next mission. She hadn't decided yet, but after what she had told Neji during their walk through the forest, the white-eyed prodigy could not imagine her saying no to her brother.

The man was the most important person in the world to the kunoichi; of course she would agree to go with him.

"A whole year." Neji groaned, as he sat back up; the serenity of watching the sky above, no longer easing his anxious mind.

He didn't want to see her go, but what could he possibly do to stop it? He wasn't her master to tell her what to do; he wasn't even her boyfriend, to be able to ask that she stay. They were only friends and teammates; that was nothing compared to a flesh and blood brother.

How could he possibly ask her to stay?

"hah." Neji exhaled deeply; closing his eyes in frustration as he lay back down on the soft grass.

"Oi." A familiar lazy voice called out to the Hyuga. "That's my spot."

"Hn." Opening his eyes, Neji looked up to see the bored face of his younger friend staring down at him.

"Don't you usually train right now?" Shikamaru asked as he sat down a few feet away from the Hyuga.

"Hn." Neji stilled his face; removing any trace of emotion from his expression. "My team is not scheduled to train today." He informed the yawning shinobi, as Shikamaru tucked his arms behind his head to lie down on the grass.

"…" Indifferently, Shikamaru stared up at the sky. "Something on your mind?" The Nara lazily inquired from besides Neji.

He was tempted to ask Shikamaru for his advice. The lazy shinobi was intelligent, but more than that, the he had experience with long-distance relationships. If anyone could offer some sort of insight into his current situation, it would be Shikamaru. The only problem was that despite everyone knowing that he and Tenten were close, Neji had never admitted his feelings for the bun-haired kunoichi to anyone. Quite the contrary, he had many times denied any involvement between himself and Tenten.

Though Neji was sure their friends were most likely not oblivious to the possibility that he harbored some emotion for Tenten, to approach the topic now, would reveal the true depth of his feelings for the bun-haired kunoichi. And he wasn't about to admit his feelings now that there was no chance at all that anything could ever come of it.

"Just tell her." Shikamaru sleepily droned out, as he closed his eyes to inhale the fresh mountain breeze.

"Why-" Neji began; prepared to deny anything the Nara may have discovered.

"Naruto wasn't wrong." Shikamaru cut in; ignoring the Hyuga's slight surprise.

"Naruto?" Neji repeated; unsure of what the younger shinobi was referring to.

"If you asked her," Shikamaru ignored his question. "She'd choose to stay."

"What-" Neji began; wanting to know why the younger man would think so.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru yawned; cutting the Hyuga off yet again. "I need a nap." He mumbled, before closing his eyes to indicate he was finished speaking.

"…" Neji quickly rose to his feet; acknowledging his friend's hint that he wished to be left alone.

At the moment, he too needed to be alone.

Making his way down the hillside, Neji dejectedly sighed as he eyed the forest trees just outside the clearing where he and Tenten often sparred.

How could he ask her to stay? Even if Shikamaru was right, and Tenten would choose to stay if he asked, how could he ask when he knew how much her brother meant to her?

During their years as friends and sparring partners, Neji had often asked difficult requests of the kunoichi; like asking her to train in the middle of a heat-wave, or asking her to climb to the summit of a nearby snowy mountain in order to test her endurance to the harsh elements. Often he had requested that she join him to uncomfortable family functions where a date was required; entirely platonically of course.

He had also often asked to spar on their days off, or when she was injured, or sick; he had even pulled her out of bed many times when she was tired and sleep deprived. Of course, all this he had done for her benefit as well as his own, but they were harsh requests nonetheless; still, she had always complied.

But asking her to stay, and let her brother leave; to go without seeing her brother for a year or more…

'_That would be asking too much_,' Neji reasoned, as he sullenly walked through the forest; paying little attention as to where he was going. Not that he really needed to; that particular part of the forest was a wooded area the white-eyed shinobi knew well. He could walk through it blind folded if necessary.

"Oi!" An annoyed voice yelled out as Neji inadvertently walked into something solid. "Watch where you're going!" The angered voice reprimanded.

Slightly startled, Neji turned his downward facing head up to apologize to the voice's owner, only to come face to face with the very reason behind his mind's current unrest.

"Koudo." Neji growled; menacingly glaring at the smirking man staring down at him.

"Oh it's just you." The older shinobi sneered; returning the Hyuga's intense glare with one of his own. "You wouldn't by any chance happen to know where my Tennie-chan is, would you?" Koudo asked the younger man.

"No." Neji curtly replied; walking past the older man without apology. Koudo was the last person he wanted to see.

"Hyuga!" Koudo called out to the younger shinobi.

Calmly, the Hyuga ceased walking, but did not turn to look at the older man.

"If you see Tenten, tell her I'm looking for her." Koudo requested; echoing the demand he had made on the first day Neji had met him.

"Why?" Neji asked; though the meaning behind his question was unclear even to himself.

"The mission starts tomorrow." Koudo offered; a hint of amusement in his voice as he informed the Hyuga. "I need to find her before my meeting with the Hokage tonight."

"That wasn't…" Neji began, but reconsidered.

He had wanted to ask Koudo why he was taking Tenten away. How it was he couldn't see that Tenten had a home in Konoha; friends and family. But then Neji remembered…. Unlike Gai, Lee and himself, Koudo actually _was_ family. Despite the fact that the Hyuga had never known about the man before those last three days, Koudo _was_ Tenten's _real_ family, and Neji couldn't tell the man that he had no right to take Tenten away, though that was exactly what he wanted to say.

"Wasn't… what?" Koudo arched his right brow; waiting patiently for the Hyuga to continue his protest.

"Nothing." Neji mumbled his reply, before he once more began walking away from the older shinobi.

"So that's it?" Koudo challengingly stepped in front of the Hyuga. "That's all you have to say to me?"

"Hn." Neji stared squarely into the older man's eyes. "Is there more you required of me?"

"…" Koudo smirked. "You're an amusing kid."

Not interested in what the older man had to say, Neji began walking away again; oblivious to the lingering amusement in Koudo's eyes while observing Neji's brooding back as the Hyuga retreated from the challenge.

"Oi!" Koudo once again stepped in front of the brooding Hyuga. "I didn't think you'd give up so easily." He mocked the sullen man.

"…" Without a word, Neji continued walking passed the older man.

It wasn't that he was giving up; Neji was hardly the type to surrender without a fight. But this was one battle he was certain he could not win.

"I can't believe my precious little sister would have such poor taste in men." Koudo snickered. "I'm more convinced then I was before that's you are definitely not good enough for her."

Under different circumstances, Neji would have paid no heed to such a blatant attempt to get him riled up; but those where not regular circumstances. Though what he desired most at the moment was to prevent Tenten from leaving him, Neji also wanted one other thing…

To beat the crap out of the man who was stealing her away from him.

"kah!" Neji turned; throwing his entire weight into his swing, as he aimed his fist at the older man's face.

"gah." Koudo grunted, as the Hyuga's fist made contact with his nose; catching the older man by surprise. "Well now…" Koudo used his right arm to wipe the blood from his face. "That's more like it." He toothily grinned, as he stood from the floor where the Hyuga's punch had sent him.

In an instant, the older man's childish grin was replaced with a menacing smirk, as he heatedly charged at the Hyuga. Neji eyes had only a moment to register the man's swift movements, as Koudo stepped inches in front of him; ramming his fist into the Hyuga's stomach; knocking the wind out of him, before quickly back flipping away.

It took Neji a moment to catch his breath, before he skillfully maneuvered himself next to the older shinobi; attempting to aim a jolt of chakra into the man's chakra system. But it seemed Koudo was aware of Neji's technique, because as soon as Neji got close enough to hit him, the other man quickly retreated out of his grasp.

He was faster than anyone Neji had ever fought before; even faster than Lee.

As the fight continued, it soon became obvious to Neji that it would be much more difficult than had anticipated; not that he had really given it much thought when he threw the first punch.

Despite Neji's advantage in a close-range battle, Koudo's speed made it difficult to make contact; thus making his gentle fist all but useless.

"Too slow." Koudo teased; landing another blow on the Hyuga.

"hn." Neji grunted, as the older man's fist collided with his jaw.

"Say something." Koudo mockingly sneered.

"Why?" Neji grunted, as his aimed another jolt of chakra at the man.

"Because I'm bored with just looking at your emotionless mask…" Koudo replied. "Don't know how my sister can stand it."

"No." Neji huffed breathlessly, as he aimed another jab in the man's direction. "Why… Why are you taking her?" He demanded; unable to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice.

"Why do you care?" Koudo mischievously smirked. "I thought you were _just friends_." He emphasis the last words; repeating what Neji had said the first day they met.

Ignoring the older man's words, Neji continued to throw jabs of chakra at him. "She has a home here!" He accusingly yelled at the man. "People who care for her."

"Including you?" Koudo asked as he easily dodged another attempt from the Hyuga.

"Hai." Neji affirmed, managing to land a hard blow, but missing the chakra point. "I care."

"Really?" Koudo stopped moving; folding his arms in front of his chest, he looked down at the younger man, for once with a serious expression on his face. "How much?"

"Huh?" Neji ceased his attack as well; stunned by the older man's newfound seriousness.

"How much does she mean to you?" Koudo looked at the Hyuga sternly in the eyes. "I specialize in gathering information. In the last few days, I have heard rumors around the village about you two; but though everyone seems to believe there is something between my sister and you, it seems for the past seven years, nothing has come to fruition. So tell me Hyuga." He paused to emphasis the importance of his next question. "What are your intentions toward my beloved little sister?"

"…" Neji stood dumbfounded by the question; unsure of how to answer. Only moments earlier had he felt as if he would lose the girl forever; reluctantly, he was preparing himself to give her up entirely. But now, the very man who was stealing her away was asking him what his wanted; what he envisioned their future holding.

"I'll warn you," Koudo added. "If I don't like your answer, or if I think you're being dishonest… I'll kill you."

Neji was certain from the look in the older man's eyes that Koudo was serious in his threat; but that didn't concern him much. What really interested the Hyuga was the why… Why was Koudo asking him those questions? If he intended to take Tenten away, why did he need to know how Neji felt about her?

"I'm not toying with you kid." Koudo interrupted the Hyuga's thoughts. "Well not right now at least." He mumbled under his breath. "So just tell me!" He demanded.

"I…" Neji hesitated. It wasn't that he was afraid of his feelings for the girl, but saying what he wanted to say would place him in a vulnerable position; something no Hyuga ever willingly did. "I… I lov--"

"Koudo!" A familiar feminine voice yelled out; interrupting the Hyuga. "I found you!" Tenten ran up to the two men. "Neji!" She gasped. "You're both here…" The girl looked unnerved; glancing between the two men wearily.

"Agh." Koudo grabbed his head; incredulously shaking it back and forth.

"What's wrong?" Tenten asked her older brother.

"Huh?" Koudo looked up. "Oh, nothing." He quickly replaced his serious expression with a large mischievous smirk. "I was actually looking for you Tennie-chan!" He exclaimed, lunging at the girl, to wrap his arms around her in a hug.

"KOUDO!" Tenten shouted in protest; pushing the man off of her.

"Oh Tennie, you're so mean." Koudo curled down to a squat; tucking his head between his knees. "Big brother just wants to show his love and my mean little sister always pushes me away." He moped childishly.

"agh." Tenten frustratedly pulled at her buns, before dropping down to the ground next to her brother. "I'm sorry." She apologized; wrapping her arms around the older man's shoulders.

"Tennie!" Koudo jumped at the girl; pinning her down on the floor as he tightly embraced her with childish enthusiasm.

"Hey!" Tenten shouted. "Get off of me you idiot!" Not too gently, the girl pushed the oversized child off of her. "And be serious for a second." Dusting herself off, Tenten stood to her feet and looked down at the older man. "That is, if you even know how to be serious."

"aha." Koudo gasped. "That wounds me Tennie-chan." He pouted. "You're such a meanie." Childishly, he looked down at his hands as he playfully toyed with his fingers in mock agitation. "I should never have brought that basket you were left in from our front porch." He turned back to Tenten; accusingly pointing at her. "If it weren't for me, you would have frozen to death. You should be more grateful!"

"Agh!" Tenten growled in frustration. "Stop saying that!" She swung her foot to kick him; missing only because the older man had leaned back just in time to prevent getting kicked in the head. "I know it's not true!"

"Fine." Koudo pouted; wrapping his arms around his legs as he continued sitting down on the forest floor, as if he were listening intently. "What's wrong?"

"It's…" Tenten hesitated. "It's about the mission."

For a moment, Neji felt that perhaps it was time for him to make his departure. Looking at the two siblings, he was certain this was a private matter. But as much as he knew he should leave, he just couldn't. Neji had to know what Tenten was going to say. Had she decided to leave? Or maybe she would choose to stay. He wasn't sure he could bare hearing her say she would leave; but he had to know.

"What about the mission?" Koudo dropped his hands from around his knees, before standing up; his childish demeanor quickly forgotten.

"I…" Once again she hesitated. "I can't go."

"Can't" Koudo repeated; as a wave of relief and utter joy washed over the Hyuga.

He felt a huge weight fall off his shoulders as the girl said the words Neji had wanted to hear, but had dared not hope.

"I'm sorry." Tenten apologized. "I don't want to be separated for a year from you, brother… but…" Neji wasn't sure, but for a moment, he thought he saw the kunoichi's eyes quickly shift toward him, before turning her attention back on her brother. "I…"

"I understand." Koudo cut in. "You have a home here. People who care about you." He eyed the Hyuga before continuing. "A year is a long time to be away from the people that love you."

"But--" She began.

"Don't worry." Koudo smiled at his younger sister. "There will be other missions."

"Brother…" Tenten looked mournfully at the older man; tears clearly welling up in her eyes.

"I'm sure Lady Tsunade can find another pair of shinobi to take this one." Koudo smirked.

"What?" Neji spoke up before Tenten could; but it was clear she was thinking the same thing he was.

"You didn't think I was really going to leave my little sister for a whole year, did you?" He asked the Hyuga; silently warning the younger man with his eyes that he would not be backing down from his earlier challenge any time soon.

"…" Neji was at a loss for words. He had what he wanted; Tenten would stay. But apparently, so would Koudo… The older man had made it clear he did not like Neji; given that the Hyuga had very nearly come close to revealing how he felt for the kunoichi, he was certain the older man would do everything in his power to come between them. '_But she's staying…_' Neji sighed; relieved at that fact at least.

"Koudo." Tenten smiled widely, before cheerfully throwing her arms around her big brother.

"Hey." Koudo happily hugged the elated girl back. "Maybe it's about time I settle down for a bit." He mused.

"Really?" Tenten asked as she released her grasp on her brother. "You mean it? You'll stay?"

"Sure." Koudo smiled at the girl. "There are plenty of smaller missions to take." He offered. "Or who knows, maybe I could be a jounin sensei for a genin squad." He chuckled. "What do you think? Wouldn't I make a great sensei?"

"Ah…" Tenten stared incredulously at her older brother.

"Maybe I can ask Gai for some pointers…" Koudo mused as he began walking away from the two.

"What?" Tenten and Neji exclaimed in unison as they followed behind the older man.

"Yeah, I think I'd make a good sensei." Koudo nodded determinedly.

"You're not serious are you?" Tenten quickly ran to catch up to her brother.

"It might be fun." Koudo replied before turning back to face the distant Hyuga. "Plus, I could keep my eye on you, Tennie." He added while mischievously smirking at the lagging Hyuga. "Yeah." He nodded; the smirk still firmly planted on his lips. "Lots of fun."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

**A/N**: I was little weary of this chapter, because there are a lot of little nuggets that might be missed, so for those of you who missed it, I'll explain. All three chapters were connected (obviously), but in more subtle way then might be apparent to some readers.

In the first chapter, which was in Koudo's POV, it's clear (at least I hope) that Koudo realizes Neji likes Tenten… and of course, being an information specialist, he knows they do care about each other. It was also hinted that Koudo was amused by Neji's reactions, so he started teasing him; which he did even more so in this one…. Chapter two of this story, was in Tenten's POV, where it's hinted that she does have strong feelings for the Hyuga, but also for her brother. The thing is, Naruto was right (in the first chapter), Neji is the most important person in her life… which is why she ends up choosing to stay. Oh… there was more, but I can't remember right now… anyway, those were the main ones, just in case people might end up having questions.

* * *

**IMPORTANT NOTES**

**(1) Like Naruto (the manga) I'm going to take a Hiatus. I'm going to finish off ****FIVE NOBLE CLANS****, but after that I probably won't be back on to update for a while… maybe not even until next year (though I'll try to post a Christmas story… but I make no promises since I'll be going on a month long vacation starting the 16****th ****of December… which is one day after my final exams end).,**

**(2) Yes, a multi-chapter story is going to come out of this KOUDO arc eventually, but again, not until after I return from my vacation and after I do the ****WIND AND DRAGON**** and ****FIVE NOBLE CLANS**** 3****rd**** part (tentative title: ****A NEW LEAF****).**


	62. Something Warm

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. And I do not own "Something" by the Beatles!

**A/N**: It's a short one… Finally done with finals (agh), and well, since I'm leaving for vacation tonight and won't be updating for over a month, I wanted to leave you all with this nice little song-fic one-shot to tide you over until I return… My gift to all of my readers. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and all that stuff… please be sure to check out my Neji and NejiTen and Kakashi fanart Holiday greetings (Links on my profile)... I promise to read the updates for stories I'm behind on when I get back (sorry but after 2 months of nothing but reading, my brain just wouldn't allow it at the moment)...

WARNING: I apologize for the rushed-feel of the chapter, … not my best, but it was just a quick almost drabble like story… (though much longer than a drabble)… hope you enjoy a sugary sweetness of it though.

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
SOMETHING**_** WARM  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The prickling chill in the air indicated the nearness of the long winter nights that were to come. Pulling his thick winter coat tighter around the neck to protect him from the cold, Neji observed his five younger friends waiting for him and Lee as the two older shinobi arrived at Naruto's favorite ramen stand.

It was their first day off in months, and the seven of them had decided to join up for lunch with the four kunoichi of their teams, who had arranged to go holiday shopping earlier in the day.

Neji hadn't been particularly interested in meeting up with the guys; preferring to have remained in the warmth of his room, if he was not going to be training with his team.

He didn't like winter. It was too cold.

Usually, training was the only way to keep the icy weather from affecting him, but with Tenten unavailable, Neji had had no other way to deter the frigid temperature. However, with his uncle Hiashi out a well, that also meant Neji had no real excuse to give the other guys for his desire to stay home; and he wasn't about to admit that he weak to the cold.

"Oi!" Naruto jumped excited; the low temperature having no effect on the autumn-born ninja.(**1**) "It's about time you got here!" He reprimanded the two approaching shinobi.

"Hn." Neji curtly nodded a greeting to the other boys; ignoring the hyper-active shinobi's accusatory tone.

"Will we be meeting the youthful blossoms of our teams to eat here?" Lee cheerfully asked; also seemingly unaffected by the cold.

"No." Shikamaru replied, before an agitated Naruto could protest.

Seeing the moping expression on the blond shinobi's face, Neji deduced that a discussion about the restaurant choice had already taken place before his and Lee's arrival; with Naruto being the defeated party in said argument. It would not have surprised the white-eyed shinobi if the blond had suggested the Ichiraku Ramen stand, as he had on every other occasion in which the group of friends got together. Though it was a fine enough location, realistically, it was poor choice when it came accommodating their large group. Try as they might, however, it seemed impossible to get the blond shinobi to understand such a thing without a long argument about how five stools could not seat eleven people.

"We're just meeting here." Chouji finished explaining for his lazy best friend. The husky Akimichi, comfortably wrapped up in a large scarf, made Neji feel even colder just looking at him.

"Hey, here they come!" Kiba eagerly bounced up and down; indicating in the direction to which Neji and Lee had, moments earlier, arrived from.

"Hn." The Hyuga enviously eyed the overly enthusiastic Inuzuka; attributing his fiery personality as the reason why the boy also seemed as unaffected by the cold as the other younger shinobi.

Turning to face the direction of the girls, Neji noted even the girls didn't seem to be as effected by the harsh arctic breeze rushing through the streets of Konoha, as they walked towards the group of boys; multiple shopping bags in hand.

Hinata and Sakura were both well wrapped in multiple layers of clothing, while Ino somehow seemed to defy logic by wearing the thinnest winter coat Neji had ever before seen. Yet somehow the girl seemed unaffected by the cold; though Neji suspected perhaps she was more concerned with her sense of fashion then her sense of comfort, which clearly was the case with the oversized heeled boots the girl wore.

Watching the four kunoichi approaching them, Neji noticed that the one who seemed least affected by the harsh weather was Tenten.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__Something in the way she moves  
Attracts me like no other lover  
__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji watched as the bun-haired kunoichi fidgeted in what appeared to be a brand new, long, white wool coat. It was tightly form-fitting, though still relatively thick in appearance; with a fluffy faux fur collar. The Hyuga inwardly smirked as he noted the light pink flush in the girl's pale cheeks. Watching as she gracefully moved across the dirt road, with elegantly powerful stride; so unlike the usual demure timid steps of most girls her age, Neji couldn't help but think her appearance was both innocently angelic, yet somehow temptingly alluring.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**__  
Something in the way she woos me  
__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"What are you smirking at?" Tenten teasingly asked as the girls approached the five guys.

"Hn." Neji grunted; not at all surprised the kunoichi could so easily read him with such accuracy; even so well as to see the smirk hidden in the Hyuga's pale eyes.

"So cold." Tenten shivered, before gently wrapping her arms around Neji's waist.

He knew she wasn't really cold. Tenten was the last person who would ever fall victim to the chilling frost descending upon the wintry world.

As the kunoichi snuggled up closely to him, amidst the snickering and giggling of their younger friends, Neji contently leaned down into her embrace; enjoying the warmth emanating from her petite body. For some reason, Tenten had always had a much warmer body temperature than that of the average person. Neji musingly attributed that fact to the kunoichi's warm personality; believing that perhaps that was why her smile and eyes both held the same undeniable warmth that her tiny frame did.

"Haah." Neji sighed, as he took his muscular arms and wrapped them around his girlfriend; eagerly accepting the warmth she provided him with.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__I don't want to leave her now  
You know I believe in how__**  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Though the two teammates had been friends and sparring partners for many years, only recently had Neji finally admitted his true feelings for the bun-haired kunoichi. It had taken nearly losing her, to non-other than the flame-haired Kazekage, for Neji to finally confess the love he had been harboring for nearly a decade. (**2**) He had always believed his feelings to be one-sided, but since finding out that she too felt the same as he, Neji had completely abandoned his prior unemotional façade.

Well… mostly…

It wasn't a personality changed entirely; but as a result of his newfound happiness, Neji had at least become less indifferent to the world around him. And when it came to Tenten, he had become more expressive; in order to best prevent any future misunderstandings like the ones that had plagued them for so long.

Because now that he had her, he didn't ever want to lose her.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__Somewhere in her smile she knows  
That I don't need no other lover  
__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Better?" Tenten asked in whispered voice for only him to hear, after a few moments of the two standing in a comfortably silent embrace.

"Hai." Neji responded; knowing that she had instinctively realized that he had been suffering from his sensitivity to the cold, and had, for that reason, greeted him so warmly.

"Awww." Sakura and Ino's cooing voices resounded from behind the blissfully distracted couple.

"You two are so cute!" Ino squealed after the rest of their group had greeted one another; leaving the two lover alone in their little world for a moment.

"Yeah they are." Sakura agreed, standing behind her blond best friend.

"You're so lucky Tenten." Ino cooed as the couple slowly came out of their blissful daze.

"Yeah, I am." Tenten replied, smiling up warmly at the Hyuga.

Neji begged to differ; the lucky one was surely him…

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**__  
Something in her style that shows me_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-__**  
**__Don't want to leave her now  
You know I believe in how__**  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Should we get going?" The somber bug-wielder, calmly questioned from beside his puppy-dog eyed teammate as the love struck teen gazed affectionately down at their blue-haired teammate. (**3**)

"Let's." Tenten nodded; adjusting the furry collar of her newly acquired winter coat.

The white of her coat really did make her look like an angle in Neji's eyes.

"Hai." Neji smiled down in return; no longer feeling the frigid burn of the icy chill in the air.

With her by his side, nothing in the world could bother him.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__You're asking me will my love grow  
I don't know, I don't know  
__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"You two look very comfortable together." Ino commented from across the table as Tenten continued to snuggle into Neji's side, while they all waited on their orders to arrive. "So… how much longer until we start hearing those wedding bells?" The blond kunoichi teasingly smirked.

"Ah…" Neji sensed Tenten stiffen in his arms as a heated blush swept across her face; much to the amusement of all those seated around the large banquet table.

Neji could practically feel the girl's flushed embarrassment, as she pressed herself against his side.

For his part, the Hyuga had not really stopped to consider the possible future that lay ahead for the new couple. Since he had only recently accepted the possibility of them being a couple, Neji had not yet dared to dream that she could envision the two of them together forever in that way.

But feeling the heated flush, and realizing she had not denied the possibility, gave Neji hope that…

Maybe…

He smiled at the prospect.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**__  
You stick around now it may show  
I don't know, I don't know__**  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Hn." Neji leaned down toward the bun-haired kunoichi; pressing his lips to the side of her head before gently kissing her there. "I don't know." He replied; not at all denying the possibility. "Someday." He softly whispered; unsure as to whether even Tenten heard his hopeful admission.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__Something in the way she knows  
And all I have to do is think of her  
Something in the things she shows me__**  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Neji?" Tenten looked up at the subtly shivering shinobi as he tried to outwardly compose himself, while on the inside he felt colder then he ever had before.

Neji couldn't help it. Even with Tenten by his side, and the grill in the middle of the table at the barbeque restaurant, the heat from his core was dissipating far too rapidly from within his body. Since entering the restaurant over an hour ago, the temperature had seemed to drop at least ten degrees; though, Neji assumed, that was probably an exaggeration on his part.

"Umm…" Tenten momentarily disappeared under the table as she rapidly searched through her shopping bags. "Here it is!" She exclaimed, before coming back up to join them.

With the swiftness of a trained kunoichi, and the smooth, gracefulness that only she possessed, Tenten quickly wrapped something warm around Neji's bare neck.

"That should help." She smiled up at him; carefully adjusting the warm knitted scarf into place, to keep him from freezing to death.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__Don't want to leave her now  
You know I believe in how  
__**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Arigato." Neji smiled down at his beloved, as he comfortably sighed; feeling the warmth within him rise at merely thinking about how lucky he truly was to have someone so wonderfully warm love him as much as he loved her.

Someday… (**4**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_(**1**) Neji's born in July; Naruto's born in October (I have a birthday timeline in my DeviantArt account, for all of them if anyone's interested…) anyway the point is that Neji seems to think Naruto's unaffected by the cold like him because of the time of year they were born in…

(**2**) Those of you who have read the story know where _that_ is from… *smiles*  
(**3**) Sorry I tried to avoid the KibaHina reference, but… it's the other story, so… couldn't help it…

(**4**) I'm not sure about the ending… but for some reason I just really liked ending it like that… obviously the chapter is in Neji's POV… and the someday is referring to his hope that someday he can ask her, and that she's say yes and they'll live happily ever after… **XD**

**Anyway, Merry (Early) Christmas and Happy Holidays to all… I'm leaving for Mexico on vacation for a month tonight so I'll see you all when I get back! Laters!**

**-E**


	63. 20 Questions

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I'm BACK!!!...lol… well for those of you who didn't know, I've returned from my vacation (about 2 weeks ago actually, but I was finishing up my other story A NEW LEAF, and getting settled back into school… agh…). Unfortunately I've been having a bad case of writers block lately (as well as a mind numbing flu) so this was a little difficult to write… but hopefully it's not too bad. Anyway ENJOY and please read the author's note at the bottom about the V-day "contest" I'm having… thanks! And as always,

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**20 QUESTIONS  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Lee." Neji sternly glared at the annoying bowl-headed boy that had been pestering him for the last twenty minutes. "Drop it." He repeated his command of a few minutes earlier.

"But Neji-san…" Lee whined; his puppy dog eyes doing nothing to soften the Hyuga's heated glare. "As your teammate and best friend, I must know if something is bothering you." The boy persisted in his questioning of the Hyuga prodigy; unaware that the very reason for Neji's current distress was standing no more than a few yards away from the pair.

"Lee…" Tenten's bored voice called out to the tearful chunin from the opposite end of the clearing where their sensei had been conducting his monthly evaluation of the team's ninja progress. "If Neji says nothing is bothering him, then nothing is bothering him." Tenten firmly sided with the white-eyed jounin; though from the curious look hidden in her honey-tinted eyes, Neji could tell even she didn't believe her own words.

"NONSENSE!" Gai exclaimed from beside the bun-haired girl. "If our youthful Lee says there is something wrong, then there is something wrong. Lee is very perceptive when it comes to matters of the heart." Gai absurdly proclaimed about his favorite student. "So tell us, oh youthful prodigy of our team, what is bothering you?" The ridiculous man addressed Neji; swiftly leaving Tenten's side to join Lee in his questioning.

"Nothing." Neji again repeated before closing his eyes as he leaned back into the tree behind him; determined to ignore the two self-proclaimed green beasts of Konoha.

"AHA!" Gai excited slammed his right fist into his other hand; the youth-obsessed man's eager expression, as he watched Neji from a few feet away, worried the Hyuga. "I know! We shall play the youthful game of twenty questions to determine what is bothering the youthful Neji." Gai enthusiastically announced to the other two, before returning his gaze back to Neji.

"Hn?" Neji stared dumbfounded at his overly childish sensei, as Gai unnecessarily instructed Lee and Tenten, in detail, on how to play the aforementioned game.

"Neji-kun." Lee began; preparing himself to ask the first question. "Is it a problem you are having?" Lee seriously asked, after a few moments of deep concentration.

"Lee…" Tenten rolled her eyes from beside the boy; clearly as stunned (though not entirely surprised), as Neji, upon hearing the question Lee had wastefully chosen as their first clue.

"Hn." Neji grunted. He really didn't feel like participating in such an asinine and childish activity.

"Neji!" Gai uncharacteristically scolded the Hyuga; indicating to Neji that he didn't have a choice in whether or not he would play the game.

"Hn." Neji unwillingly nodded in response to Lee's question.

"Does it have to do with someone from the Hyuga Clan?" Tenten hesitantly asked; after seeing the determined look on Gai's face that told her, she _too_ had to participate.

"No." Neji hesitantly responded.

He _really _didn't want to be playing this game.

Though he had told Lee over and over again that there was nothing wrong, the truth was, there _was_ something that had been bothering him. But he didn't want to talk about it; and, least of all, did he want them to know about it…

"Is it about our last mission?" Tenten asked; her curiosity obvious beginning to get the better of her as she observed the nervous gleam in Neji's eyes.

"No." He replied.

It was partly true; the mission they had just returned from a few days earlier wasn't exactly what was bothering him, but it _had_ been the reason he had begun acting suspiciously odd lately. It wasn't that it had been a difficult mission; if anything, it had been surprisingly simple. The problem was… he'd screwed up.

Screwed up stupidly.

He had lost sight of the client, when the team had had to split up to avoid being captured by their pursuers. Though he had quickly found the client, who had nearly falling off a cliffside as he ran to escape his pursuers, and managed to rescue the client just in time; the fact was that he had nearly failed in his mission. While it had not been difficult, nor had Neji's mistake been too serious, the problem was that there _had_ been a mistake; _his_ mistake.

And Hyuga Neji _did not_ make mistakes.

Had the mission actually been a dangerous mission, instead of a simple escort mission, it could have cost him, his teammates, or the client, their lives; and _that_ was unforgivable. It was deplorable to him that he would have messed up on something so trivial; but more than that, it was inexcusable because the reason he had screwed up was because he had not been focusing on the client (or the mission) at the time the enemy had ambushed them.

His mind had been on something else… or more precisely, on some_one_ else.

"You sure?" Tenten disbelievingly observed the Hyuga as his face subtly betrayed his mental musings.

"Yes." Neji sternly affirmed; making a mental note to count that too as a question.

"Is it a girl?" Lee finally asked his second question; after having mulled over it a while.

"…" Neji remained silent for a moment; unsure whether to lie, or tell the truth. They had only asked four questions, and it was possible that if he didn't lie, the truth might come out; and he didn't want that.

"Neji?" Tenten stepped closer toward the three males; keeping her eyes securely locked to the Hyuga's pupil-less, white eyes.

"Yes." Neji reluctantly answered; knowing there was no point to lying since the kunoichi could easily tell whether or not he was being dishonest.

"Is it Hinata-san?" Lee asked; choosing the most likely person.

"No." Neji simply replied; though he understood why Lee would assume it was Hinata, as she was one of the few girls Neji interacted with on a daily basis.

"Lee." Tenten turned, staring incredulously at the bowl-haired boy.

"Yes Tenten-san?" Lee cheerfully turned to look at the bun-haired kunoichi.

"Never mind." Tenten shook her head. She knew it was pointless to remind Lee of what her first question had been. "Fangirls?" Tenten asked; turning away from the spandex-clad boy.

"No." Neji monotonously responded.

"Fanboys?" Lee offered; far too confidently for Neji's liking.

"NO!" Neji angrily barked.

"An arranged marriage?" Tenten hesitantly asked, after a few moments of pensive silence.

"No." Neji dully replied.

For a moment, he thought he saw a hint of relief wash over the kunoichi, upon hearing his reply; but he quickly dismissed it as his seeing things. After all, what reason would she have to be relieved?

"Could it be someone we know?" Tenten wondered aloud. Her lips adorably scrunching together as she concentrated on the tree branches above Neji's head; trying to figure out the problem before they ran out of questions.

"Yes." Neji quietly replied.

"Really? It is?" Tenten excitedly turned back toward the Hyuga; energized at having made a correct guess.

"Yes and yes." Neji responded quickly before Tenten could realize she had asked another two questions.

"Hey!" Tenten protested; finally realizing what Neji had been doing. "Those didn't count as questions!" She argued.

"Yes, they did." Neji stoically responded. "You are down to eight." He added; making sure to let them know of all the questions they had asked, even if they hadn't believed them to be questions at the time.

"Is it Sakura-san?" Lee worriedly asked; not sure of what the problem may be, but apparently convinced that if it were his beloved cherry blossom, it couldn't possibly be good.

"No." Neji dully replied; reassuring Lee that his problem was far from whatever the bowl-haired boy may have begun suspecting.

"Ino-san? Temari-san? Naruto-kun?" Lee rattled off one guess after another.

"No. No. NO!" Neji irately replied.

"Lee…" Tenten shook her head incredulously. "Naruto's a boy!" She reminded the bowl-haired boy.

"But when he does his jutsu…" Lee began protesting, but quickly dropped the argument upon seeing both teammates growing irritation. "Is it someone you like?" He eventually asked after a few minutes of awkward silence.

"…" Neji remained silent again. This one he did not want to answer.

"It is!" Lee excitedly jumped up and down at having gotten another one right. He could tell from the Hyuga's silence that the answer to his question had definitely been a yes.

"It is?" Tenten incredulously asked, in what Neji thought, was a somewhat worried tone.

"Yes. Yes." Neji eventually replied; knowing he would be forced to answer anyway, so he decided to reply to both, as that brought the question count up to eighteen.

There was no way they would be able to guess in two questions.

"Who… Who is it?" Tenten hesitantly asked; her eyes shifting nervously between Neji and the forest floor.

"That is not a yes or no question." Neji replied; staring intently at the kunoichi. He hadn't fully realized until then, because of his own discomfort, but as he observed her, Neji noted that the kunoichi was acting suspiciously nervous.

_Why?_ He wondered.

"Someone we know?" Lee tilted his head to the side; scratching his chin as he mulled over the answers they had already received.

"Yes." Neji quickly answered; knowing that question had already been answered, but determined to try to trick the pair out of their last two questions.

"Wait!" Lee worriedly exclaimed. "That didn't count as a question too did it?" He anxiously questioned.

"Yes." Neji replied. "And your twenty questions are up." He added, before rising to his feet to stand and leave before the rest of the team could protest.

"AHA!" Gai (who had been unusually quiet this whole time) excitedly leapt into the air. "YOU ARE IN LOVE WITH TENTEN!" He confidently proclaimed from behind his two other students.

"…" Had Neji been facing his team at the moment Gai had utters those six words, they would have seen the Hyuga's unshakably stoic expression, come crashing down, as Neji visibly stared, stunned, into the empty forest before him. Fortunately they had _not_ been standing in front of him, and Neji was able to recompose himself in a matter of seconds, before replying to Gai. "I am no longer obliged to respond to your questioning." He coldly replied, before quickly (and with much difficulty on his part) removing himself from their presence.

And so, as soon as he was out of sight... he ran...

He had never imagined that his team would have been able to pin point exactly what had been bothering him, within the parameters of a mere twenty questions, yet somehow they had. And though Neji knew eventually he might have to deal with the ramifications of what had just transpired, for the moment, he needed to get as far away from that place as possible.

"Neji?" A timid female voice called out to him from below, as Neji reached the secluded lake, hidden deep within the forest.

It was a place few people knew about, and fewer still, who visited, because it was difficult and dangerous to get to.

"Tenten." Neji dryly greeted the kunoichi from the tree branch he had moments earlier jumped up to; trying to hide the fact that he had not expected her to guess where he had gone to, though he really should have anticipated it. "What are you doing here?" He coldly asked; attempting to keep his voice steady and unshaken from the earlier conversation their team had just been having.

"I came to ask the last question." Tenten quietly replied; jumping up to sit next to him on the thick branch.

"Hn." Neji grunted; unsure of where this was going. "You already asked the twenty questions." He responded to her statement.

"No." Tenten shook her head. "You can't count the same question twice." She stated; clearly referring to Lee's duplicate question of whether the girl had been someone they knew.

"Hn." Neji grunted; averting his eyes from the kunoichi and preparing himself to lie if need be.

"So…" Tenten hesitantly began, scooting over closer toward him.

"…?" Neji turned questioningly toward the bun-haired girl after a few minutes of insufferable silence, while the kunoichi considered what she would ask; or rather, _how_, she would ask what she wanted to know.

"Did…" She paused nervously. "What Gai-sensei said…"

Without thinking; without even realizing it, Neji did the last thing he ever expected himself to do… Quickly closing the short distance between them, Neji bolding cupped the kunoichi's face in his hand, and hungrily pressed his lips to hers; displaying a burst of passion and desire, which he had been suppressing for far too long.

His hungry and desperate attack upon her mouth continued for what felt like an almost blissful eternity, before the two eventually parted; both gasping for air, as they somehow managed to remain seated on the high tree branch they were perched on.

"Neji?" Tenten breathed in deeply; her eyes still searching his for a clear and direct answer to her growing confusion.

Neji could see a mixture of hope and fear mingled within her warm brown eyes.

"…" He smilingly nodded in reply to the final question in their game that she had been unable to formulate; but which he had finally understood. He now understood why the kunoichi had seemed uneasy during the team's game, and why she had come chasing after him. He had never dared to dream, that she _too_ felt the same way he felt for her; but now he knew… "Yes." (**1**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_(**1**) In case anyone's left wondering the "Yes" at the end is the 20th answer... and the 20th question, for anyone who missed it was "Was Gai right?"

**A/N**: eeh… I'm not so sure about the ending; I felt the kiss was a bit… eeh… but since I rarely give you guys many kisses, and I left you all waiting for over a month and a half, I decided to reward your patience with a kiss… I'll **try** (but make no promises) to include more kisses in future chapters…

Now as for the "CONTEST" I mentioned above…

Since I've run into a bit of a writer's block problem, and Valentines Day is coming up shortly… I need YOUR help… I want you all to review with not only your comments on this oneshot, but also with your best ideas for a V-day story…

**Contest 1: Valentines Day**  
I need a story idea for V-day.  
I'd like something romantic... it can be funny, but preferably not crack.  
Neji and Tenten, obviously.  
They can either be going out or not (please specify)  
Decide whether you want the story to include just Neji and Tenten, or involving the others is fine... let me know...  
Otherwise, just let your imagination flow... and send me your ideas... the best idea (or more doable one) will be the one I will write for Valentines day.

**Contest 2: Tenten's Birthday**  
Same thing... same "rules"

**Prizes**  
I will not only write the story that's chosen, I'll also dedicate fanart of one scene in the story to the winner.

Deadlines  
Feb. 9th for the V-day one...(out on the 14th)  
March 3rd for the birthday one... (out on the 9th)  
Late entries will still be accepted, but are less likely to win depending on when they're submitted because I might not be able to pull it off in the amount of time...

THANKS and good luck to anyone who's participating... i look forward to seeing your ideas. :D


	64. Cold

**Disclaimer: **Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: I dedicate this one to everyone who is as sick as I am!!! **XP**  
Warning: A bit light on the NejiTen-ness, but still there…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**COLD  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Everything dies.

That is the one and only certainty in life.

Everything, and everyone, that is born into the world will eventually leave it through death.

Just as spring heralds in new life, in the freshly blooming flowers that color every corner of the earth; death comes in winter, and takes away the brilliant hues that spring birthed, and replaces it with a sheet of ice and cold. And just as the sun is born in the east, and dies in the west; so too, does human life have a beginning and an end.

This, is the single most important truth that every shinobi learns early on in life; everything has its season, and everything dies…

"Ack, caha." Tenten coughed as she struggled to lift herself up off the floor.

Yes, everything dies. She knew that; better than most. She just hadn't expected it to come so soon; or so anticlimactically.

"You are not dieing Tenten." Neji dryly stated, as he watched the girl rise up to her elbows and knees; attempting to cross the excruciatingly long distance to her objective.

"You don't know that." Tenten wheezed as she crawled along the carpeted floor in her small living room to get to the counter across the room; trying in vain to save what little pride she had left, after Neji had, moments earlier, walked in to witness her at her worst.

"No shinobi has ever died from the common cold." Neji replied in a disinterested tone; though, even in her muddied mind, Tenten was sure he wasn't as uncaring as he seemed to want to portray himself as.

"There is nothing common about it!" Tenten coughed in protested, as she reached the counter and lifted herself up onto a stool.

"Hn." Neji grunted. "Here." He extended his hand out to take hold of the bottle of medicine Tenten had picked up off the counter, and was now struggling with.

"I can do it." Tenten defiantly glared at the white-eyed shinobi; daring him to try and take it from her, before turning back to the task at hand. "Why…" She angrily growled at the bottle in her hands. "Why do they make these damn things so hard to open?" Tenten coarsely yelled as she tried figuring out the child-proof cap on the bottle. (**1**)

"Give it." Neji grabbed the bottle from the kunoichi's trembling hands; easily opening the bottle and pouring the smelly green liquid into the clear plastic cup. "Open." He demanded.

"I'm not a child." Tenten pouted; clumsily falling to the floor as she clasped her hands over her mouth to indicate that she would not do as told.

"Is that a fact?" Neji's right brow rose suspiciously. "Your behavior would indicate otherwise." He uncharacteristically taunted.

"You-" Tenten began protesting; but much to her surprise, Neji took the opening to swiftly pinch hold of her nose and force her to chug down the cough medicine he had pour moments earlier. "Ack, cahaa, cahaa." She disgustedly coughed, as the Hyuga released his hold, and moved away from her flailing arms. "Agh, that's disgusting." She complained.

"It's good for you." Neji replied; crouching down on the floor in front of the coughing kunoichi.

"Why -_cough-_ does everything -_cough-_ that's good for you, -_cough_- have to taste so nasty?" Tenten complained between coughs.

"Hn." Neji stood and walked over toward the cluttered kitchen sink; searching for something. Though what that was, Tenten's groggy mind could not figure out. "Have you eaten anything today?" He asked as he filled up a clean glass with water.

"I… huh?" Tenten groggily turned up toward the ceiling to try to still her now dizzying mind, as she attempted to concentrate on the question she'd been asked.

As she was thinking, and trying to remember what he'd asked, her stomach suddenly let out a loud growl.

"I'll take that as a no." Neji mumbled, before walking back toward the kunoichi and handing her the cup of water. "Drink." He instructed.

"Nah." Tenten meekly attempted to refuse, but the Hyuga was persistent.

"It will remove the bitterness of the medicine." Neji reasonably argued.

"Oh." She nodded; obediently taking the cup he handed her. "Okay." She replied, before thirstily drinking the full contents of the cup.

As she drank the refreshing cup of water, Tenten's burning throat almost instantly began to cool. She felt better; although still considerably weak, and now somewhat sleepy.

Also, she was still unconvinced that she _wasn't_ dieing.

"Aaahhh." Tenten painfully moaned, as another cramping tightness jolted through her stomach.

Why did being sick have to be so painful?

"Hn." Removing the cup from the kunoichi's hand and setting it on the counter above her, Neji placed his right arm around the kunoichi's back, and tucked the left one under her legs.

"Wah…" Tenten exclaimed in surprise as Neji lifted her up in his arms and began carrying her towards her bedroom.

"You need rest." He quickly explained, as they entered her minimally decorated room.

Swiftly, and with little effort on his part, despite carrying her weight in his arms, Neji walked over to place the sick kunoichi comfortably on her bed.

"Neji." Tenten quietly called out to the Hyuga as he started walking towards the door.

"Hn?" He paused and turned to face the girl.

"Sorry." She apologetically whispered; tucking herself deeper into the heavy blankets Neji had just covered her with.

"…" He stared back in confusion; unsure of what the kunoichi was referring to.

"Sorry for interrupting your training." She mumbled under her breath; feeling the truth of her words painfully deep in her soul.

Just as they had for their first and then again their second chunin exams, now that Neji was up for the jounin selections, the two sparring partners had been training day in and day out for the past month. Having been nominated to attempt the rigorous testing that was required to determine whether a shinobi was truly worthy of carrying the title of 'Elite', Neji had been working harder than ever before; and Tenten had been there to help. It was her greatest pride and happiness that she could be there to help him along the way. But now she felt ashamed. Because, now, she was pulling him down; interfering with his progress.

"What are you talking about?" Neji sternly asked the kunoichi, as he slowly approached the bedside once more.

"You should be training, but instead-" Tenten tiredly began; her eyes beginning to weight heavily as she attempted to suggest to the Hyuga that he should leave and not worry about her.

"No." Neji coolly replied, before she could even get the words out.

"But…" Her breathing became shallower as she tried to search her hazy mind for an argument that she could make, but found nothing. She didn't even understand why Neji was refusing to leave in the first place; it wasn't as if he needed to be there.

"Hn." Neji pulled back the covers off the kunoichi's face to keep her from suffocating in the heat; briefly stroking the kunoichi's messy locks, as he moved her bangs off her forehead to feel for her temperature. "You are running a fever." He calmly observed, before quickly pulling back the covers completely and placing a thinner bed sheet protectively over the kunoichi's lithe frame. "You should rest." He softly instructed. "I will prepare something for you eat." He added, before turning back toward the door.

"But…" Tenten tugged at his sleeve before he could leave. "Your training-"

"Is unimportant, at the moment." Neji cut her off, before removing her hand and one more beginning to make his way toward the kitchen.

"Neji…" Tenten called out again as he reached the door.

"…" He stopped at the doorsill and turned back toward the fading kunoichi.

"Thank you." She silently whispered, as she drifted off to sleep.

"Hn." A small smile tenderly spread across the Hyuga's lips as he flipped the light-switch next to him; turning one last time to see the kunoichi's sleeping form. "You're welcome Tenten…" He lovingly whispered, before leaving the kunoichi to rest peacefully in her room.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_**A/N**: What is it about 4am lately that I either seem to still be awake at this hour, or when I do manage to fall asleep, I always wake up at 4am on the dot? I'd like to blame it on my cold and my coughing preventing me from sleeping… but unfortunately it'd be a lie… anyway… hope you enjoyed the new oneshot… make my day and review… I'll probably be up for a few more hours, the reviews would give me something to do… oh and don't forget about my **V-day **and **B-day** contests… review!

**Footnote****:  
(1) **Seriously, why?!?!? By the time I opened the damn bottle, everything fell on the floor! Don't the medicine bottle making people realize that sick people have the manual dexterity of a two year old?


	65. 4 AM

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: The other day, I thought that I had gotten my first flame in a LONG time… but a few days later, the same person who called me bastard and told me she hated me for killing Tenten off in chapter 36, gave me a nice review for chapter 64, so I figure that pervious one really wasn't a flame.. Still for the few days between reviews, I actually thought I'd had a flame… and I laughed… hahaha… it's funny what time does to a person, not too long ago, I would so have been mad or hurt, this time I totally just laughed it off… anyway, this one's a bit sad, though not quite "bastard" worthy… I think it's a pretty cute story (courtesy of my insomnia)… hope you all enjoy it…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS… I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**4 AM  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock_

The clock on the mantle in the Hyuga main house resonated loudly through the corridors of the estate. Even with the wide distance that separated his room from the infernal antique clock that overlooked the main house living room, Neji could still hear the consistent ticking… and it was driving him mad.

"Haah." Neji sighed as he sat up in his bed; turning to the window on his left.

4 am… He was sure of it.

It was the third time that week that he had been awakened at such an intolerable hour; the irritating ticking of the clock only adding to his frustration, almost mocking his inability to make it through a single night without waking up at the same hour.

"Again." Neji sighed irritably, as he swung his feet off the bed.

Though he often awoke in the early morning hours for training, even Neji wasn't the type to skip out on sleep; he knew it was a necessary requirement in order to maintain one's focus and skill, as well as to recuperate from injuries and illnesses. Yet, for the past half a year, it had become an unfortunate habit that he should be awakened at 4 am every morning.

At first, it had been a mild nuisance, especially because he found that it carried over into his 7 am training schedule; but now Neji was beginning to grow concerned. From the beginning, he believed he knew the cause, and for that reason had not intruded into what he had determined was not his business; but now…

"Enough." Neji decided; quickly changing his clothes and climbing out the window to search the streets below.

The darkness of the twilight hours was of no concern to the Hyuga prodigy, as his Byakugan more than compensated for the blinding blackness of the night. The cold, however, was an entirely different matter.

"Grrr." Neji deeply growled as he tightened the collar of his sweater to keep himself warm.

Hoping that running would help him fight off the cold, despite the chilling air outside, Neji swiftly made his way through the frigid streets; cutting through the forest to get to his destination faster. The streets were pretty much empty; except, of course, for the few shinobi returning from far off missions, as well as sentinels who served to protect the village during the solitary nights, and a few scattered venders who were preparing themselves for their early morning customers, while the rest of the villagers slept comfortable in their nice warm beds.

"Haah." Neji once more sighed; wishing he were amongst the many, who were currently enjoying a peaceful nights rest.

But he knew that wasn't going to happen any time soon; not until he got to the bottom of this problem.

"Where is she?" Neji mumbled to himself as he got to the front door of the small apartment he had run in search of.

"Neji?" A startled voice called out from behind the Hyuga.

"Hn." Neji turned to face the kunoichi who he had come looking for; slightly surprised by the fact that he had not realized she was behind him, though at the same time none too shocked, considering how used to her chakra presence he had become over the years.

"What are you doing here?" Tenten bewilderly asked the white-eyed shinobi.

"I could ask the same of you." Neji retorted.

"Umm… I live here?" Tenten sarcastically replied, before turning her attention to retrieving the key to her door.

"What are you doing outside, Tenten." Neji clarified; ignoring the girl's remark.

"Oh." She shifted her eyes nervously to the ground. "I went for a jog." She uneasily replied after a few moments of awkward silence.

"Hn." Neji disbelievingly grunted.

Of course he knew that she had gone for a jog; that was, after all, the very reason he had come out to search for her. But that wasn't the issue.

"You have not slept." Neji stated, as he observed the slightly darkening bags under the kunoichi's eyes.

"No." She timidly admitted; once more turning her attention to the dirt below her feet. "I was trying to tire myself out." She added as way of explanation of why she had yet to fall asleep.

"It is the third time this week." Neji firmly observed; effectively informing her of the fact that he was aware of her morning jogs.

"Yeah." Tenten nodded; still, with her eyes focused downward.

"What's wrong?" Neji sternly demanded.

Though he had previously believed it to be none of his business that the kunoichi of his team was having trouble sleeping, Neji had begun noticing in recent weeks that her strength and accuracy were beginning to suffer on account of her lack of sleep. If this continued, he was hesitant to think what may happen to the kunoichi on a dangerous mission. For this reason, as well as the fact that her 4 am jogs past the Hyuga compound were beginning to affect his own performance, Neji had decided that he would get to the bottom of the problem, and if necessary, force her to get some sleep.

"It's nothing." Tenten denied; attempting to walk past Neji in order to get into her apartment and evade any more questions. "I'm just not tired." She added, before placing the key she had finally managed to find, into the lock of her door.

"Hn." Neji forcefully stepped in between Tenten and the door, as she began walking into her house. "Tell me."

"It's nothing." She insisted; trying to slide past Neji.

"Then why have you been unable to sleep for the past six months?" He demanded; his determination to attain a straightforward answer evident in his eyes as he firmly stared down at the kunoichi.

"Haah." Tenten dejectedly sighed. "Fine… Come in." She motioned for him to follow her into the modest dwelling.

Not since he had delivered her home after a mission that had left Tenten with a broken leg, and thus unable to walk home from the hospital on her own, had Neji stepped foot into his teammate's small home. That had been nearly a year ago. Now, as he looked around the sparsely decorated apartment, he realized something was off about the place. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but there was something different; less inviting about the dark room.

"Please sit." Tenten motioned toward the small couch as she went into the kitchen area to bring him something to offer.

As he crossed the short distance between the front door and the living room, Neji's well trained eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area to try and determine what it was that he sensed was out of place. Sitting down to wait for Tenten, his eyes came across a small black picture frame a few yards in front of him, located in another room. From where he was seated, Neji couldn't tell who the picture was of; but given the atmosphere and everything else he knew, Neji finally understood…

"Why didn't you tell me?" Neji solemnly asked, as Tenten handed him a cup of warm tea.

"I didn't…" Tenten tearfully hesitated; her eyes wandered over toward the other room where she had erected the modest altar.

It was so like her; Neji thought. Never wanting to bother anyone when it came to her problems, but always the first to offer her assistance when others were suffering.

"Tenten…" Neji placed his cup down on the glass coffee table situated in front of him, before taking hold of her hand as he looked up at the kunoichi's tearing eyes.

"I…" Tenten's voice began breaking; her hand was shaking as Neji held it. "I-I miss her so much."

Quickly rising to his feet, Neji pulled the now crying girl into his arms. It was a rare sight, to see someone as strong as Tenten so vulnerable. For a moment, out of sheer surprise, he didn't know quite what to think. But then he realized, more than just being shocking, it pained him to see her so hurt. Neji had always had somewhat of soft spot for the kunoichi; though he had long ago reasoned it was due to the fact that she was the closest female friend he had ever had. But now, as he held her small, trembling form in his arms, the ache in his heart as he saw her crying over her deceased grandmother made Neji wonder if perhaps he had underestimated himself.

"I'm sorry." Tenten apologetically whispered, as she slowly began pulling away; her hands quickly rising to wipe away her tears.

"No." Neji quickly pulled her back into his embrace. "It is I who should be apologizing."

"Huh?..." Tenten turned to face her sparring partner; confusion drawn clearly across her features. "Why-"

"I should have inquired sooner." Neji replied, before she could ask what reason he could have to be sorry for. "As your teammate…" He paused. "No, as your friend, I should have been there for you."

"But I didn't-" Tenten began protesting; trying to unburden those around her, as always.

"But I should have known." Neji cut her off again, before reaching out to cup her chin and tilt her head up to face him. "I cannot imagine how lonely it must have been for you." He began; the temptation to lean down a little further nagging at him in the back of his mind. But no, it wasn't the right time.

"Neji…" Tenten hesitantly began pulling away.

He could tell from the hurt in her eyes that he had guessed correctly. The reason she had been trying to escape her apartment… she had been trying to escape the isolation of her, now, empty home.

"Hn." Neji allowed her to pull away, but not entirely.

Once more grabbing hold of her hand, he gently began guiding her over to the room where the small altar had been erected in memory of Tenten's grandmother.

"What – what are you-" Tenten began; but was soon silenced, as Neji respectfully knelt down before the simple altar.

"Obaa-sama." Neji reverently addressed the picture of the old ailing woman he had met only a handful of times. "Please be at peace. I shall look after Tenten from now on in your stead. I promise that she will never be lonely again."

"Ne-" Tenten voice choked out, as new tears beginning forming in the kunoichi's eyes, while kneeling beside the Hyuga; Neji hoped this time it was not due to her sadness or her loneliness.

"I will do my best to take good care of her." Neji continued to address the picture of the woman who had raised Tenten.

He had not planned or anticipated the words that were leaving him, but as he spoke, Neji realized why it had been bothering him so much to sense Tenten's restless spirit each night as she ran passed his window. Why it hurt him to see her uneasy; her pain. Why he had been unable to sleep just as she had; why he had been ensnared by _her_ insomnia…

"Because she's the most important person in the world to me…" (**1**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

(1) There will be fanart for this coming soon...go back to check on my profile for it within the next few days... ;)  
**_

**A/N**: I could so have gone on with this one a little further… but I thought it ended cutely on that line… plus it's already 5 am and I should really try to go to sleep… ;P

Anyway, thank you all for the "get well" wishes… I am better, not it's just my insomnia, but I doubt that'll be going away any time soon… thankfully tomorrow's (err… today) is Sunday so I can sleep in until whenever… anyway, thanks for reading, remember to review (I need something to do during my sleepless night ;P)

* * *

_**NOTE: Next chapter will be the V-day one... i've already decided on the winner to that contest... but the birthday one is still up for grabs...**_


	66. Valentine

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: And the winner is … *drum roll* … Cathiegirl16! Woohoo!!! Aside from the fact that she practically reviews EVERYTHING I do (lol… thanks btw), her idea was very fun, especially because she took the time to really brainstorm it with me to make the story come alive. Anyway, congrats on winning to Cathiegirl16… I'll have the fanart up real soon **;)**

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**VALENTINE  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_Where was she?_ The Hyuga fumed, as he turned his angry gaze upward to face the traveling sun. Gauging from the position it held in the sky, Neji estimated the day to be nearing ten o'clock. That made Tenten three hours late!

THREE HOURS!

Three and half, if he considered the extra half hour the two teammates usually shared, in peaceful silence every day before their overly energetic teammate and sensei showed up for training.

As Neji waited, sitting against the beech tree he usually used for meditation, it occurred to him that it was unlike her to be absent for their morning ritual; much less from their team's training sessions. It also occurred to him that she would never bail on him without just cause. Yet, as he sat there, alone, Neji couldn't help but feel…furious.

"Where is she?" He growled through clenched teeth.

"Where is who?" Lee abruptly popped up from behind the tree; apparently having already returned from his and Gai's daily five hundred jogs around the village.

"Hn." Neji heatedly rose to his feet; having no desire to speak with anyone at the moment, least of all Lee.

"Hey, where is Tenten-san?" Lee frantically looked around the small clearing.

Where most people would have been drained beyond belief after such an excruciating task, Lee somehow became more energized by the arduous jog around the village.

"She has not yet arrived." Neji begrudgingly replied.

Though he normally didn't like to explain himself, Neji was certain that if he didn't this time, the bowl-haired boy would simply resort to annoying him with his exuberant energy, in order to get the information. Really, answering him was the most prudent thing for Neji to do in order to save himself the trouble.

"Haah." Lee dramatically gasped. "Perhaps she is ill." He exclaimed; turning to Gai, just as the youth-obsessed sensei arrived to stand besides the two younger men. "As her friends and teammates, we should-"

"No." Neji cut Lee off. "I will go find her." He volunteered; knowing it was exactly what the bowl-haired boy was about to suggest.

"Then shall we-" Gai enthusiastically began; preparing himself to sprint towards Tenten's apartment.

"No." Neji once more interrupted. "I will go alone." He insisted.

Though he was fairly confident that the kunoichi would not be in any harm, Neji suddenly felt the urge to get as far away from the two bumbling idiots as possible; and going out to search for their missing teammate seemed the easiest way to do so.

Before either Gai or Lee could protest, Neji took off in the direction of the kunoichi's apartment. Swiftly, he made his way though the small hidden path that connected their training area to the village streets. There was no need for him to expend his energy, but he still wanted to get to Tenten as soon as possible. Partly because he was angry that she had ditched him to deal with the two childish shinobi alone, but also, he begrudgingly admitted, Neji wanted to know what had actually been keeping her from him.

_Perhaps she _is_ ill_. Neji wondered; though he couldn't imagine that being the reason, given that she hadn't looked ill the day before.

Usually when Tenten was getting sick, there was an abnormal fluctuation to her chakra flow that he was always able to detect at least a day or two before she actually became ill. On those occasions, he would generally call off training for next few days; ensuring that she would not strain herself with too much activity. This time, however, that could not be the case, as he was certain he had not see anything abnormal in her chakra flow the last time he had seen her.

_What then?_ Neji asked himself as he came to the break in the trees; hurriedly exiting into the village streets.

Realizing he was beginning to look much too eager to find his female teammate (though why that was, he was, as yet, unsure), Neji slowed his pace to a brisk walk. As he reached the busy streets just outside the forest, Neji noticed there was something odd about the day. All around him, a dozen or so couples, engaging in varying degrees of PDA, lined the crowded streets; professing love and undying affection toward one another.

It took him a moment, but Neji knew what it meant. "Agh." He groaned in frustration at the sudden realization.

It meant hordes of fangirls and crazed stalkers (as if there were a difference), bombarding the Hyuga estate with various shaped boxes, containing chocolate, candy, hearts, pictures, undergarments, and other less savory articles, of which Neji would rather not think about. Worst of all, it meant being lectured by his uncle for not yet having chosen a 'potential bride' (as his uncle Hiashi put it); the result of which would ease the annoyance and trouble this day of the year brought.

"Haah." Neji sighed frustratedly.

Now he really needed to find Tenten.

He needed to find her, because he knew sparring with her would be the only way to distract himself from the irritation that the day would surely bring. What's more, for some reason he had yet to figure out, Neji had long since noticed that having Tenten around was a sure fire way to keep the fangirls away. He reasoned it was probably due to the fact that any girl in her right mind wouldn't be stupid enough to face off against Tenten's weapons; and interrupting their training would certainly result in such an occurrence.

"…" Neji smirked at the mental image of some rabid fangirl meeting her just punishment for interrupting a training session of his and Tenten's.

Turning toward his left to enter the residential district where the bun-haired kunoichi lived, Neji suddenly came face to face was something rather unusual. Unusual because, Neji wasn't exactly sure _what_ he was looking at.

Standing no more than a few yards in front of him, was a floating pile of brightly wrapped boxes.

"Tenten?" Neji curiously questioned, as he approached the familiar chakra signature that stood behind the boxes.

He could see the kunoichi's legs under them.

"Neji?" Came a confused, and muffled voice from behind the giant pile of gifts.

"What is the meaning of this?" Neji asked, before he could think to consider the possibilities thoroughly himself.

After a moment, deep within him a heated anger began to stir at seeing (and more important, understanding) the meaning behind the scene before him. He wasn't sure why it was that he was feeling so angry at the fact that Tenten was holding, what he could only imagine to be gifts from hormonal teenage boys; but he was. VERY angry.

"Grr." Neji lowly growled. "You're late." He quickly added; hoping to convince the kunoichi that that was the reason for his sudden emotional response.

"Sorry." The pile of boxes apologized. "I normally set my alarm a lot earlier for today, but for some reason it didn't go off this morning."

"Hn." Neji grunted; angrily eyeing the hateful boxes covering the girl's face.

"Ahhh…" Tenten's voice sounded hesitant, though not altogether timid. "A little help, please?" She asked from behind her wall of gifts.

"Hn." Neji reluctantly approached the kunoichi; having no desire to touch the presents given to her by other men. Worst, however, was the fact that he was certain his anger would be evident to her if the boxes were removed and she could see his face.

But he relented.

As calmly as he could, Neji removed the top half of the stack and began walking in the direction of Tenten's house. "You did not get very far." He observed; trying to sound as casual as possible as he attempted to conceal his growing rage.

"I did the first time," Tenten groaned; tossing her head back in frustration as she continued walking behind him. "I made it all the way to the forest's edge; even snuck my way, _unnoticed_, through the main streets, but just when I was about to cross into the trees… agh." She aggravatedly groaned.

"You could have rejected." Neji pointedly stated; tightening his jaw as he considered the possibility that perhaps she hadn't _wanted_ to reject the gifts.

"No." Tenten defeatedly sighed.

"…" He wasn't exactly sure why, but though he himself had first thought of the possibility of her wanting to receive the gifts, the fact that she had just confirmed it, sent a burning fury running through ever nerve in his body.

"It's just…" She hesitantly began. "Any other day, I _would_ refuse." She explained. "But today… well it's just rude to do that today." She sighed again.

Though he hated to admit it, Neji could understand her logic. This day was also the one day in the year when he felt it rude to reject the gifts offered to him by the many who, year round, offered him some memento of their 'undying devotion.' It wasn't that he was accepting the feelings that they were professing along with the gift. No, that was the beauty of this day; outside of those who were in committed relationships, no one really expected any acceptance of said mementos to actually mean anything. It was a day that, those who were brave enough, would bestow gifts upon those whom they admired. But it was also a day of friendship. If the gift-bearer was rejected (or received no positive response), then it was easily dismissed as a gift of friendship, instead of a proclamation of some deeper emotion.

"Hn." Neji begrudgingly accepted; though he still wished she would have rejected the gifts. "So this is a common occurrence?" He asked, before he could stop his curiosity.

"Are you jealous?" Tenten snickered from beside the Hyuga, as she hastened her step to match his pace and catch up with him.

"…" Neji abruptly stopped; shocked by what she had just said.

Up until that moment, he knew he had been feeling unusually angered by what he was learning, but he hadn't considered the fact that he'd actually been jealous of the fact that other men were vying for the attention of the bun-haired girl.

What did that mean?

Did it mean he liked her? That he was jealous the other men also found her appealing?

It didn't surprise him if they did, though. Tenten was an attractive girl. He would have to be a fool not to notice it.

"Hn." Neji shook the thoughts from his head. He didn't want to think about it. It was too much.

He would try to sort everything out in his head later; when he had some time to himself.

Turning toward the kunoichi in question; hoping she had not taken notice of his extended pause, Neji realized that, fortunately, his abrupt stop had been directly in front of said girl's apartment.

"Don't worry." Tenten meekly smiled over at the white-eyed shinobi, from beside the entrance. "I'm sure you'll get plenty of gifts yourself." She teasingly added, before quickly turned away and taking a key out of her pocket to unlock the door.

"Hn?" Neji stared, confused, at the back of the girl's head as she jiggled the key in the old lock.

Neji's mind began reeling.

Was that what she'd meant? She'd been teasing him about the number of gifts they would each receive?

If that was she had meant, did it signify that she didn't even consider the possibility that he'd become jealous of the men who had been giving her gifts? Or worst, that she didn't even think it mattered if he did because she never even considered the possibility that he might possess some emotional attachment toward her, because she herself would never do so toward him.

"agh." Neji groaned; frustrated with all the intrusive and chaotic thoughts invading his mind.

"Neji?" Tenten turned toward the Hyuga; concern and confusion clearly shadowing her features. "Are you okay?" She worriedly asked.

"Hn." Neji immediately stiffened; attempting to regain his composure. "I am fine." He monotonously replied, before walking toward the open door to place the boxes he held, inside; hoping to quickly make a fast escape so he could reevaluate everything his mind had been conjuring up for him.

"You sure?" She questioned, as Neji entered the small lower level apartment.

"…" Upon entering said apartment, Neji stood flabbergasted at the sight before him. Handing the kunoichi the remaining packages for her to place on the round dinning table, along with the ones she had just put there, he allowed his eyes to wander the surrounding area.

All around them, the small room was filled with dozens upon dozens of roses, carnations, tulips, daises, and every other imaginable flower Neji would think of (and a few that he couldn't). If he hadn't known better, Neji would have believed he had just walked into a flower shop.

But he did know better. And he knew what it meant.

He had never realized, until that moment, that Tenten was this popular was the opposite sex. Though she wasn't what one would consider the stereotypical bombshell, Tenten had always possessed an unparalleled beauty to her.

At least, Neji had always thought so...

But somehow, he had deceived himself into believing that maybe he was the only one who noticed it; after all, she had never had a boyfriend before…

"Tenten?" Neji turned back toward the kunoichi as she arranged the gifts into some sort of order. "What is the meaning of this?" He asked; curious as to how it was that she had so many admirers (or perhaps one extremely obsessed admirer), and he, her teammate, and closest friend (or so he had believed), didn't know about it.

"…" Tenten's brow creased as she considered the Hyuga's question. "I told you already." She nervously turned down toward the flowers in the next room. "This is the one day I wouldn't dare reject any gifts," Tenten began, as she walked toward the small living room area; moving a few of the flower arrangements along the way. "So for that reason, I guess, this happens." She pushed her palms out, waving at the surrounding mountains of gifts and floral arrangements. "It's a hassle to write thank you notes to everyone, but hey, for a week or so, my house smells really good." She nervously giggled as she said the last part.

"Hn." Neji mentally counted the number of presents filling the girl's apartment; wondering how it was possible to remember who gave her what. Most of the gifts didn't even have notes to them.

"I've got a list." Tenten explained, before he even asked; nodding towards a notebook sitting next to the presents she had just placed on the table.

"…" Neji determinedly walked over toward the notebook, picking it up and opening it to quickly give it a once over.

He wasn't sure what drove him to do what he did next, but as Neji read through the immaculately kept records of each gift-givers name and address, a thought occurred to him. The fact that she had managed to hide all this from him, coupled with the earlier piece of information she had given him about setting her alarm earlier on this particular day, as well as the note besides each boys name on the notebook she kept, indicating the years the named gift-giver had previously given her something (along with the impersonal feel to such meticulous record keeping) made Neji realize that it could all only mean two things: one, she wasn't interested in any of the guys named in her notebook, and two, she hadn't want Neji to know about them. Why she wouldn't want him to know about all this seemed somewhat confusing at first; until he realized it could only mean …

_Ding-Dong._ The doorbell suddenly rang.

Using his Byakugan, Neji calmly opened the door behind him. In front of him, a male, who looked to be a civilian (no older than Tenten and him), stood holding a bouquet of a dozen red roses in one hand; and in the other, a large heart shaped box of chocolates.

"Here." Neji shoved the notebook into the young man's arms. "And tell them rest of them she's not interested either." He added, before slamming the door on the boys face.

"Neji!" Tenten ran to the door; moving to open it in order to apologize for her teammate's rudeness, but Neji prevented her from doing so. "What are thinking?" She accusingly asked, as she angrily eyed the Hyuga.

"I don't want you accepting other men's gifts anymore." Neji simply replied.

"What?" Tenten angrily exclaimed; still not over the fact that Neji had been so rude. Not to mention the fact that he just given her notebook, which she had laboriously complied over the years to make her life a little easier on this day. "What are you-"

Before she could continue asking her question, Neji leaned down and kissed her; kissed her deeply and possessively. Pulling his arms around her, he hungrily pressed his lips to hers; running his tongue along her soft warm lips until she opened them receptively and began kissing his back. She met his lips with her own, kissing him just as passionately and desperately.

"haaa." Tenten inhaled deeply, once the two teammates finally parted. "Ne-"

"Tenten." Neji interrupted; still holding on to her petite frame.

"huh?" She breathlessly turned up to face Hyuga; a delicious cloud of bliss fogging her mind.

"Be my Valentine?" He asked, before swooping down once more to capture the kunoichi's lips.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_**A/N**: Oh the Cheesiness!...lol… don't blame me… it's nearly 3 am… lol… but hey, what a line to end on huh? XP… This wasn't the original ending (the original ending more or less consisted of Neji using the notebook to track down each fanboy to beat the crap out of them), but I figured a v-day fic needed a kiss... so I changed the ending... hope you all liked it ;)

**HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!!!**

I'm too tired to reread this, but if they're any mistakes (I hope not, I tend to edit as I write, before doing a final read/edit), I apologize, but I'm sleepy now… Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this… and oh yes, once I decide what scene to draw for fanart prize for Cathiegirl16, I will put it up on my profile, so remember to go and check it out later **;)**

* * *

_One more thing... please if you could, vote on my profile to help me decide on another story that I'll be working on shortly... ;) thanks... _


	67. Cursed

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: I've been meaning to write this story for a while now… it's nothing too special, but it's just a little scene from Five Noble Clans that I wanted to expand on. Hope you enjoy it, and again…

**_THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!_**

**_

* * *

_**

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_CURSED  
_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"Neji…" The bun-haired girl gently weaved her fingers through the unconscious boy's hair, as she tired to keep his head comfortable on her lap.

It was painful for her to see him that way. And she felt helpless, because she knew there was nothing she could do.

For many years, Tenten had known the secret of the Hyuga clan. And not just what Neji had disclosed the day of his battle against Naruto during the first chunin exams, but the whole truth.

The dark, appalling secret that the great and noble Hyuga clan concealed.

The secret of the caged bird…

Not just a seal on a forehead that could be activated to keep the branch members in check; it was so much more than that.

So much crueler…

.:..:..:..:..:.:..:..:..FLASHBACK..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:..:.

_Tenten timidly approached the clearing where her new team was set to meet in the early morning hours. They had already been together for a few months, but still she couldn't shake the intimidating aura that her saner teammate carried. It wasn't that she was afraid of Neji, but rather that she just didn't get him._

_Unlike Lee, who was an open book, and Gai, who was rather uncomplicated and easy to understand, Neji just wasn't the 'sharing' type. His intense glare and cold demeanor kept the rest of them at a distance. Tenten, for the most part, though guilty of often trying to avoid him, was also quite taken by the white-eyed boy's talent and skill. For that reason, she often arrived early to see him train before their team was scheduled to meet._

_"ARGHHH." An agonized groan pierced the quite dawn, as Tenten watched the white-eyed prodigy fall to the forest floor, gripping his head tightly. _

_"Neji!" Tenten ran to his side, as the Hyuga painfully moaned on the ground._

_She didn't understand what was going on, as she approached the stoic genius. He had seemed fine just a few seconds earlier. _

_As the kunoichi knelt down to examine what could have occurred to cause her mysterious teammate to keeled over in what appeared to be excruciating pain, Tenten noticed a faint glowing behind his forehead protector…_

_.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..END FLASHBACK.:..:..:..:..:..:..:..(1)_

That day, Tenten had learned the true secret of the leash the bound the branch members to the main house. The seal, which many abhorred for its divisive and coercive properties, was more than just a symbol; more than just a technique that was used to keep the lower branches in check. It was a constant reminder of their subservience; their inferiority to the main house. But… more than just that; it was an endless shooting pain running through the bearer's bodies.

Hyuga's were skilled in concealing their emotions, not because it was the trait of a good shinobi, but because they _needed_ to remain unexpressive to hide the pain they suffered through on a daily basis. But everyone has their limits, and as much as one could get used to a consistent pain, at times, the pain was too much for even the most stoic of men to conceal.

"Agh." The sleeping Neji moaned as he struggled to regain consciousness.

"Neji?" Tenten quietly whispered, as she leant down her head, away from the tree she was leaning on, to check and see if the Hyuga had finally awoken.

"Ten. ten?" Neji's eyes slowly fluttered open as he looked up to see the kunoichi whose left hand rested coolly against his burning forehead.

"Hi." She smiled down reassuringly; trying hard not to give away the fact that she was crying inside. She didn't want him to see that; he was already in enough pain; the last thing she wanted was to add to his grief. She was just glad he'd finally woken up.

"Hi." Neji wearily smiled back at the girl. His head was still killing him, but somehow, he felt just a little better just by seeing the bun-haired kunoichi's smiling face.

"Any good dreams?" She asked; tip toeing over the true question that hung in the air.

Tenten wanted to know how he was feeling, but dared not ask.

She knew he didn't like to talk about it. Since that day when he had told her why he had collapsed (after much insistence on her part), Neji had never again spoken about the cursed mark with her. Even after his public rant about the injustices of the main house's dominance over the branch houses, they didn't talk about it again.

"Hn." Neji grunted in response; shaking his head gently to indicate that he had not had any dreams.

"…" Tenten remained silent. She wasn't sure what else to say.

Though he had already woken up, she could tell his was still in excruciating pain just by looking at the glowing mark on his forehead; and how he winced in pain every so often, though he tired to be discrete about it.

Knowing he was hurting, just further added to her frustration.

Though she was usually the last to hold a grudge, even Tenten was not invulnerable to negative human emotions. "I hate them." She whispered; her vision becoming blurred as the tears she'd been holding back began welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"Ten…?" Neji looked up at the girl; confusion in his eyes at what he'd just heard whisperingly escape the kunoichi's lips.

"I hate them." She repeated; louder this time, with tears now freely began flowing down her face as Neji slowly pushed himself up to a seating position.

"You shouldn't say that." Neji's right hand extended to gently capture a tear running down the bun-haired girl's cheek.

"I'm sorry Neji." Tenten whispered back painfully; guiltily casting her eyes downward as she moved her head down, away from the white-eyed prodigy. "I know they're your family, but I ha-"

"That's not it." He interrupted; tucking his hand under her chin to lift her head back up. "You shouldn't say those things." He repeated.

"Why…?" Tenten's eyes searched his face for an answer.

Neji knew that Tenten wasn't the type to say she hated someone. To hear those words come out of her; combined with the sight of her tears… he knew they were meant for him. He knew she was crying for him.

"Such harsh sentiments do not suit you." Neji painfully clarified; exhaling deeply as he closed his eyes and went back to resting his head on the kunoichi's lap.

He was tired, and in pain, but more than the hurt of the curse mark on his forehead… knowing that his pain caused the kunoichi, whose lap his head currently rested on, to suffer on his account… that hurt him far more than anything the Hyuga clan could ever do to him.

"But I-" She began to protest that she did in fact have those feelings.

"I know." Neji interrupted her; he could identify with her anger, but he just couldn't help feeling like it just didn't suit her. With his eyes still closed, he lifted his hand up to meet the kunoichi's hand, resting on his forehead. "Arigato." He thanked her; bringing her hand down to his mouth, to gently kiss it as it reached his lips.

"Neji…" Tenten sighed heavily; gently weaved the fingers of her other hand through his hair, as Neji comfortably rested his head on her lap. He'd never told her before, but he loved when she did that; it eased his suffering just a little...

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_THE END  
_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

(1) Some of you might recognize this flashback from chapter 10 of FIVE NOBEL CLANS.

**A/N**: Not so sure about the ending, but hey, it's 5am… Anyway it was just a simple little scene… not too much fluff, but still kind of cute, hope you all enjoyed it.

_IMPORTANT NOTE: I just started a new multi-chapter story, so the collection will be put on hold again until that story is completed (which might take a while). Please enjoy some of my other work, or you can join me as I write the other story (UNDER THE DRAGON MOON). I do intend to try and write a BIRTHDAY FIC, but I still need a good idea, so if you have any, tell me! **XD**_


	68. A Long and Arduoud Day

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**:I guess the last chapter was probably not my best work (it's my lowest reviews in a very very long time... **T.T** ...), but that's okay... we move on... I hope the passionate kiss scene at the end of this one makes up for it though **XD**

**Dedication**: And the winner of the Birthday contest is… Glory of Dawn! Congratulations! Even though it was entered for the V-day contest, I thought the prompt would work just as well for the birthday fic. It's probably not exactly what you imagined (sorry couldn't make the whole "full skill repertoire" as much as I wanted to) but it still stems from the same general idea, so I hope you still like it … and CONGRATS on winning! The fanart for this should be out within the week… **;)**

I hope everyone else enjoys it as well, and as always,

**_THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!  
_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_A LONG AND ARDUOUS DAY  
_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

Neji stared at the bright red circle marked around the number nine on the current month's calendar. Tightly gripping the small package he held in his hand, Neji was careful not to crush the contents inside.

It was an important day; a special day.

While he was eager about what the day would surely have in store, there was a growing apprehension in the pit of Neji's stomach about what he was about to do. He wasn't the type to come to a decision lightly; and this certainly was not one that he'd just decided on without thoroughly thinking it through. Just the same, Neji harbored a slight doubt about what the future would have in store, after he acted upon his decision. As for the decision itself, that did not worry him at all. It was only the choice he could ever possibly make; Neji was certain in his resolve. What worried him, however, was the challenges that would inevitably come from what he was about to do. In the end, however, Neji knew that he was more than willing to face them all…

"Hn." Neji turned to his right to look at the clock resting on his bedside drawer.

It was still early.

"Haah" He sighed; pushing the small, brightly covered parcel into his pocket, completely unaware of how truly challenging the day was going to be…

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"It is a _very_ important day!" The blond haired kunoichi emphasized the word 'very' as he shouted at the three shinobi standing in front of her; the glare of her eyes focused specifically on the yawning Nara. "Got it?!"

"Yeah, yeah, we've got it." Shikamaru scowled; lazily scratching the back of his head as he disinterestedly stared up at the ceiling.

"I mean it!" Ino yelled at the trio of boys. "Everything has to be flawless. If you three idiots mess up, I swear to you, I'll-"

"Ino." The pink-haired kunoichi standing next to her interrupted the blond girl's threats. "Relax, we've been planning this out for months, nothing is going to go wrong." Sakura assured her blond best friend.

"Tch." Ino scoffed as she continued glaring at the three young men. "It better not." She silently warned them with heated eyes.

"Aaah… Sakura-chan?" Naruto called out to the calmer of the two kunoichi standing opposite the small group of boys. "What exactly are we supposed to do again?" He asked.

"Agh, weren't you listening?" Sakura exploded; smacking Naruto on the back of the head. Thankfully, for Naruto's sake, she had not used her full strength. Clearly, however, despite her cooler temperament (compare to Ino), the pink-haired medic was just as stressed about the matter as her blond best friend. "Fine, I'll explain it again, but pay attention this time…" Sakura warned before continuing.

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"We're _supposed_ to mess everything up?" The feral eyed Inuzuka loudly questioned the boy with the shiny black bob. "What kind of stupid assignment is that?" He agitatedly asked; certain they had been given the worst job in the girls' ridiculous scheme.

"Our mission is most important." Lee attempted to assure the younger shinobi. And the two young men, along with the Inuzuka's the large white dog, walked through the busy streets of the village; in search of their assigned target.

"Tch." Kiba scoffed. "Yeah, whatever." He shrugged; turning over toward his furry best friend on the other side of him. "Would have much rather preferred to be setting up with Hinata and Shino." He mumbled, as he fell a few paces behind the eager shinobi.

"Yosh!" The spandex-clad shinobi excitedly pumped his fist in the air, turning back to face the younger man. "Let us begin the youthful task we have been assigned to!" He cheered, before running off in search of their target.

"Agh." Kiba groaned, before leaping onto his furry teammate's back. "This is going to be a long day, isn't it boy?"

"Arf!" Akamaru barked in response; agreeing with his master.

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"…" Neji deactivated his Byakugan, as he stood in front of the door he had just knocked on; surprised to discover that the apartment on the other side of said door was empty.

"This way." The familiar voice of his cousin Hinata indicated the presence of others just around the corner of the apartment hall where Neji was currently standing.

Quickly, he dashed toward the other end of the corridor; careful to disguise his chakra presence as he hid himself around the next corner.

It wasn't that he cared to be seen, but rather that Neji didn't want to run to risk that someone or something would get in his way of doing what he had to do. And while his timid cousin Hinata was rarely ever one to get in another's way, Neji simply did not want to run the risk that she might distract him from his objective. In fact, Neji decided, he would not speak or interact with anyone at all that day, for fear that they might somehow prevent him from completing his self-imposed mission.

"Hn." Neji questioningly stared at the pair of teammates that had arrived at the same door Neji had been knocking on only moments earlier. "Haah." He softly sighed, suddenly aware that he was doing exactly what he had _just_ sworn not to do.

Realizing he was wasting time, Neji decided he'd leave the two younger ninja to discover that the apartment was empty, and move on to his own task. As he continued down the hall (searching for an exit from the shinobi dorms), a random thought about what those two might have wanted briefly entered Neji's mind, but before he could come up with an answer, the Hyuga forced the thought away to allow himself to concentrate on what he had to do.

"…" Grasping at his pocket from outside his clothes, Neji checked to make sure the package he'd put in there earlier that day was still there.

He wasn't sure where to go now. Neji considered checking the training fields, as they were probably a good place to start, but then decided against it. The training fields couldn't be the right place, as there had been no plans set that day to go out and train. No, it had to be somewhere else… but where?...

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"Oi!" Naruto shouted at the hungry eyed Akimichi. "Don't even think about it Chouji!" He warned; grabbing hold of the platter of food the large shinobi was eyeing.

"Oh, come on…" Chouji begged. "Just one little taste won't hurt." He reasoned; slowly stepping toward the large table in the restaurant where they'd come to pick up the food Ino and Sakura had sent them for.

"One little taste will get us killed if Sakura-chan and Ino-chan find out!" Naruto reprimanded.

"He's not wrong." Shikamaru, who hated the fact that he'd been taken away from his favorite pass time for cloud gazing, agreed with the loud blond. "Plus it would just give us more work to do in the end." He added; more to explain why he didn't feel it was a good idea for Chouji to eat the food, than because he actually feared the wrath of the two girls.

"Okay." Chouji sighed; pouting at the resignation of having to wait until later to be able to eat the absolutely delicious looking food that Sakura and Ino had ordered.

Naruto exhaled deeply; grateful to the lazy Nara for having averted what would have certainly been a horrible disaster. He'd already felt the sting of Sakura's hand early that day; he certainly didn't want a repeat performance of that. "Let's go then." He suggested; turning to pick up a few of the trays, with the help of three clones had had called up moments earlier.

"Fine." Shikamaru sighed, before taking the smallest tray. He really would have preferred sleeping in; it was his day off after all…

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

By any means necessary. Those were the instructions they had been given. What that meant, though, Kiba could only speculate at. Actually, remembering the perverse smirk Ino had thrown at him when repeating those instruction, Kiba was slightly nervous about what exactly the words really meant. The image of a very intimidating white-eyed prodigy beating him to a bloody pulp briefly crossed the Inuzuka's mind, as he once more mulled over the words 'by any means necessary.'

"Haah." Kiba exasperatedly sighed as he watched his temporary partner uprooting various plants and herbs in the Hokage's private garden.

"LEE!" The bun-haired kunoichi chasing after the aforementioned boy, shouted. "Stop that!"

"But Tenten-san, I am helping." Lee explained, as he continued pulling plants and weeds alike.

"They're not all weeds!" Tenten excitedly protested. "If you keep pulling out the herbs, I'm going to have to spend the rest of the day replanting all the herbs."

"Yosh!" Lee exclaimed. "I'll help!" He added, as he continued pulling out 'weeds' from the medical herb garden.

"No! Lee!"

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

It was around mid-afternoon, as the sun was beginning it's decent into darkness, when Neji finally found who he had been looking for all day. "Tenten." He smiled as he slowly approached the narrow passage from where he could see the bun-haired kunoichi in the middle of a disheveled garden.

He had spent the better part of the day searching for the kunoichi; leaping across buildings; dodging annoying blonds and lazy genius (who had almost caught sight of him, and from what he had overheard, would have made him work). It was a good thing had had decided early in the day to proceed about his search in as stealthy a manner as possible, using his full repertoire of shinobi skills to achieve his objective of finding the bun-haired kunoichi.

"That's enough already!" Tenten shouted toward her left. Who she was yelling at, Neji couldn't see, as whomever it was, was, at the moment, shielded by a building that separated Neji from the garden.

"Byakugan." Neji whispered; activating his Kekkei Genkai.

"Do not worry Tenten-san, if I cannot plant all these herbs in the next hour, then I shall run five hundred laps around the village!" Lee excitedly proclaimed, before diving down to the dirt floor to begin planting the small clumps of dirt and herbs he held in his hands.

"Kiba!" Tenten yelped as the aforementioned Inuzuka swept his arms around the kunoichi from behind her; grabbing hold of the basket Tenten had just dropped at the sudden intrusive contact.

"Let me help." Kiba flirtatiously smirked.

Neji clenched his hand into a fist until his knuckles were white. He could feel his blood pounding with the lust of violence. Were it any other day, he would have torn through the narrow passage and ripped the dog-boy's arms right out of their sockets for even thinking of touching the bun-haired kunoichi. But he couldn't. That was not the impression he wanted to be left of the day.

Hesitantly, he resisted the urge to unleash his burning wrath upon the younger man; but he made a mental note to remember this moment, and assured himself that the Inuzuka would also never forget it.

"Grrr." Neji growled, before turning away from the garden.

Judging from the mess Lee was making, it seemed Tenten would be busy for the next few hours. By then, Neji reasoned, the sun would be setting and she more than likely be headed back to her apartment to clean up. He would use those hours to distress himself from the long day he'd had, as well (and most importantly) from the sudden growing anger he felt in the depths of his being. Quickly leaping onto the nearest roof top, Neji began a slow sprint in the direction of their training field, hoping that would be enough to quell his heated rage.

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"Are you sure?" Ino turned to ask the wild-eyed Inuzuka.

"Yeah." Kiba nodded; sniffing the air and nodding once more to emphasize his point.

"Okay then everyone, take your places. And remember what to do." Ino instructed, before moving over to the near by switch and flipping it down.

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

"Haah." Tenten sighed deeply.

It had been a _long_ and arduous day. First, she had been awoken at the near twilight hour to go see the Hokage in her office, only to be left waiting for five hours until Lady Tsunade showed up from her morning rounds at the hospital. Then, after laboriously trying to keep her temper under control (after all, even in her heated state, Tenten was no dummy; she certainly wasn't stupid enough to yell at the Hokage), she was given a simple enough D-rank mission to weed Lady Tsunade's medical herb garden. Since she would have the rest of the day off, Tenten had been looking forward to a nice relaxing afternoon, once she finished with the simple task she was assigned.

Simple.

That's what it was supposed to be, anyway.

And Tenten had been so looking forward to a nice restful afternoon… But then _he_ showed up…

Now it wasn't that Tenten had a problem with her beloved overly enthusiastic teammate, but sometime Lee just didn't know when to quit.

At first it had been Kiba and his dog, Akamaru, who had unexpected shown up at her mission site. He had seemed a little anxious about something at first, but eventually relaxed and became his usual talkative and friendly self; even offering to help her to complete her mission quicker. Unfortunately it was around that time that Lee had shown up and eagerly offered his own assistance.

"Haah." Tenten heavily sighed again, as she reached her key into the lock of her apartment door.

It really had been a _long_ day…

"Tenten." A deep, familiar, baritone voice called out to the kunoichi.

She turned to face the man she knew was standing behind her, only to come face with a surprisingly disheveled Hyuga. "Neji?" she stared at the usually immaculately well groomed man, looking muddy and unhinged.

"Tenten." He repeated her name; slowly, and painfully, stepping closer towards her.

He looked as if he'd just faced off against an army; or destroyed an entire forest of trees (which she fathomed was much more likely, as she had often found him doing do around their training field whenever he needed to de-stress). There was a heated rage burning within his lavender eyes; something which she recognized to be mixture of anger, jealousy and possessiveness. She prayed to the heavens that this didn't mean he had seen the playful Inuzuka flirting with her all day long.

Although up until this point, they were still 'just friends', Tenten knew Neji had feelings for her, just as sure as she knew that she had feelings for him. But… he wasn't the type to show his feelings clearly. Tenten had reasoned long ago that that was probably why nothing had ever materialized in the seven years since they had been assigned to the same genin squad; not that she hadn't tried to act first herself, but… Neji was also pretty thick. Or at least, that's what she had thought at first. The truth was, however, there was something else holding him back; what it was, however, she had no way of knowing. Just the same, Tenten could often see the glares he directed at any male who dared look at her. And on a number of occasions in the past, Tenten had learned of men, civilian and ninja alike, that had been taken into the hospital with all 361 chakra points closed off. No shinobi could do that without killing a man; no shinobi other than Neji, of course…

"Neji?" Tenten stared questioningly at the Hyuga as he continued walking towards her; his eyes never leaving hers. "What-" She began to ask him what had happened to him and why his was there, when she was abruptly cut off by the sudden feel of Neji's lips pressed to her own.

She couldn't breath, nor did she want to. Tenten returned his eager and hungry kiss with as much passion. She kissed him hard, fast, and desperate. For a moment, as he reached his arms to circle her waist, the touch of his lips on hers, the feel of his arms around her, the sensation of his fingers at the back of her head as he untied the bands of her hair, felt so amazing it almost made her forget her own name.

"Ne-" She breathlessly began, as he pushed her back into the solid door behind her.

His lips returned to her lonely mouth, as her hands reached out toward the doorknob; eager to continue on with this delicious torture, away from where prying eyes could interrupt them.

Reason was rapidly evaporating from her mind as Neji continued his ravenous assault on her mouth. Feelings that tantalized her with promise; gripping her with a desperate need. A small moan escaped her lips. Tenten's heart was pounding in her ears; her breath caught in her throat as the two fumbled through the darkness of the small hall at the entrance of her empty apartment. She could barely think, but her hands still instinctively reached out behind her, as he pressed her body into the wall; searching for the light switch.

And just as she realized that it didn't matter whether the lights were on or not (since she knew every corner of her apartment by heart, and he didn't need light to see), the sound of the switch she had been searching for, resounded loudly in the still silence of her empty apartment, and a blinding light stung at her eyes.

"SURPRI-" The startled shouts of all their friends gathered in her apartment, stopped mid-phrase, as they stood stunned staring at the two teammates.

…" Tenten looked around the crowded room to see all her friends gathered.

The embarrassment of the situation instantly left her as she stared at the large, colorful banner hung overhead with the words: HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

It was her birthday? She hadn't even remembered…

**_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_THE END  
_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

**A/N**: OMG 5 minutes to midnight… I barely made it!!! ;P Sorry if there's more little typos than usual... or if the ending seems a bit rushed... i hurried to get this out before midnight, so that it would still technically be Tenten's birthday... and while i know that the ending might come a little unexpectedly (what with Neji never getting to give Tenten his present, or fulfilling his decision, which btw was to finally ask her out... not to marry her... but if you want to imagine he was going to propose, go for it ;) ), but I think the loose ends in this fic are more than made of for with the intensly passionate kiss scene at the end... believe me it took a lot for me to be able to come up with something like this... kiss scenes are sooo not easy....


	69. Ring

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: lol… sorry I was going to do something "smexy" for the 69th chapter here… but sadly couldn't come up with anything… So instead, I did this… Hope you all like it…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

Oh, and one more thing, check out my profile, I've got a fanart to thank you all soooooooooo much for over **ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND HITS**!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**RING  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-__If you wait too long for the perfect moment, the perfect moment will pass you by.__-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"You know what to do then?" The blond kunoichi asked the timid heiress.

"Hai." Hinata nodded wearily as the pink-haired medic handed her a small box, before smiling shyly at the two girls and then turning to leave in the direct of the training fields.

"Don't you ever feel guilty for picking on her?" Sakura asked the other girl.

"Huh" Confused, Ino turned toward her friend. "What?" She questioned; eyeing the other girl curiously before responding. "Hinata's not as hopelessly defenseless as she appears to be." She confidently replied, before turning to walk in the opposite direction; pulling the medic-nin along with her.

"…" Sakura begrudgingly allowed herself to be pulled away. "Yeah I know." She sighed heavily, as they continued walking down the busy Konoha streets. "But she's just so nice and sweet…" She paused as the two girls came to an abrupt stop along side the busy marketplace. "Sometimes, I just feel like we're torturing a cute little kitten when…" She paused; turning an angry glare at her blond best friend. "When we involve her in one of your stupid schemes." She reprimanded the other girl.

"Haah!" Ino gasped in mock indignation. "Oh don't worry so much." She rolled her eyes as Sakura continued to give her a reproachful glare. "Hinata can take care of herself…She's a big girl" She confidently added.

Reluctantly, Sakura nodded her agreement. "Well," She sighed. "I guess…" She shrugged.

"Besides," Ino paused as the two scanned the crowd, looking for the last piece to their plan. "We're going to need her for this. She's the only one who can convincingly do this." The blond girl argued.

"That's true." Sakura nodded. "But…" Her face contorted as she worriedly looked out into the crowd; spotting the person they'd been looking for. "I still don't know…"

"Agh." Ino exasperated sighed. "Just trust me!" She urged the pink-haired kunoichi; gently pushing her back out into the crowded streets. "Now, hurry up and do your part. We have to meet up with Tenten in an hour!"

"Hai, Hai." Sakura waved her hand irritatedly; before running off in the direction the blond had pushed her toward.

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Ne-Neji-kun… Neji-kun" Lee huffed breathlessly as he ran up to the Ichiraku Ramen stand, where Neji, Shikamaru, Naruto, Kiba, Chouji, and Shino all sat waiting for their food to be served. "Ne-" The bowl-haired boy loudly panted.

"…" Patiently, Neji waited for his friend to catch his breath.

"Is-" The spandex-clad boy attempted to speak as he gasped for air. "Is it true?" He finally asked.

"…" Neji eyed the, always, odd-boy curiously; a perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose in question.

Frantically, Lee stared at the Hyuga in desperate hopefulness. "Is it?"

"Is what true?" Naruto, who always had to have an opinion about everything, interrupted from behind the white-eyed prodigy.

Lee turned to face the rest of the guys; without even flinching at realizing for the first time that they were there. "Oh, it is the most joyous news!" Lee happily informed them. "Neji-kun has finally declared his undying love for our precious flower."

All the boys immediately turned toward the Hyuga, upon hearing what Lee what said.

"…" Neji remained silent; though on the inside, he was as curious as the other boys outwardly appeared to be, as they shifted their gaze from him back to the excited bowl-haired boy; searching his wide charcoal eyes for further explanations.

"eh?" Lee's smile began wavering as he looked into Neji's eyes; knowing the man well enough to read his expressionless face. "It is not true?" He innocently asked; his wide, eager smile, quickly fading.

"Hn." Neji shook his head in the negative, as response to his friend's question.

"Oh." Lee disappointedly sighed; his smile now completely gone as he shifted his eyes downward.

"Um… Lee?" Chouji, who was sitting next to his lazy best friend, stared curiously at the bowl-haired boy. "Why'd you think Neji confessed anyway?" He asked; scratching the back of his neck as he waited for an answer.

"…" Lee's head shot back up, as he stared, somberly into the crowd of boys. "I…" He hesitantly began; turning wearily toward his teammate. "I heard Tenten-san was engaged… and… I assumed…"

Immediately, everybody's eyes grew wide in shock, as they tried (unsuccessfully) to keep their gaze away from the Hyuga. They knew, he was not going to take the news all too well.

Though Neji had never admitted his feelings for the bun-haired kunoichi aloud, it was a well known fact amongst the rookie nine that Neji had feelings for Tenten; and vise-versa. Though why they had never confessed to one another still seemed a mystery to them all.

"It…" Kiba worriedly began. "It's gotta be some kinda rumor." He eyed the passive looking Hyuga out of the corner of his eye; unconsciously taking a step back as he and rest of the guys feared whether this was the moment that they would finally see the true nature of the white-eyed prodigy's temper.

And none of them wanted that.

"Ah!" Lee immediately brightened. "Yes, oh yes!" He confidently nodded his agreement. "That must be it!" He exclaimed; turning to Neji with a serious expression on his face. "My youthful rival, I apologize for ever having placed a doubt in you." He shouted; ignoring the fact that Neji had not said anything about the matter at all. "Oh, that was most unyouthful of me." He continued; disappointed in himself. "I shall run a thousand laps around the village as punishment for having believed such foolishness!" Lee proclaimed, before dashing off in the direction of the village outskirts.

"What was that all about?" A familiar female voice called out from behind the group of boys.

A collective gasp escaped the group of boys, as they turned to face the bun-haired kunoichi; all of them with minuscule (hardly noticeable), blushes on their faces, at having been caught gossiping like chatty little school girls. As Tenten maneuvered her way over toward her pale-eyed teammate, all eyes immediately fell upon the stunningly large diamond set on a platinum-looking band, wrapped perfectly around the bun-haired kunoichi's left ring-finger.

"What?" Tenten stared questioningly at the confused looking guys.

As the rest of the boys continued ogling the rock on her finger, wondering if Lee's earlier statement had in fact been accurate, Kiba quickly shook himself out of the trance. "Are you-" He began.

"Tenten!" Ino jumped out of seemingly nowhere, before Kiba could finish his question; wrapping her arms excitedly around the bun-haired girl.

"Haah" Tenten gasped in surprise; shocked at suddenly being glomped by her blond friend. "Ino!" She irriatedly yelled, before turning toward the pink-haired girl who calmly walked up next to them. "Get her off of me, will you?" She asked the young medic.

Quickly exchanging friendly greetings with the boys, Ino latched her arms around the older girl's left arm. "Well, hate to meet and run boys," Ino began; a teasing smile in her eyes as she watched the boys continue to eye the bun-haired girl's left hand. "But we've got a certain timid Hyuga holding our table at a restaurant, and we don't want to keep her waiting too long." She quickly explained as she began pulling Tenten away from the curious group of guys.

"Bye." Sakura waved, as the two girls quickly pulled the older kunoichi away from the boys.

The six guys stood in wonder; watching as the girls disappeared into the busy shopping district. Just as they rounded the last corner, the boys overheard Ino laughing. "Oh my gawd, it's so pretty!" She loudly exclaimed. "We've got to get to Hinata quickly so you show it off to us!"

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

Heartbroken, the white-eyed prodigy walked through the empty forest. In search of… he didn't even know…

Normally, at that hour, he would have taken to training; even despite the fact that it was his team's day off. His lunch with the other guys had been unpleasant. They had eaten through the entire meal of ramen in silence. Though that normally would have been a good thing, in the Hyuga's mind, this time… it wasn't. He knew what everyone had been thinking; it was the same thing _he_ had been thinking about since the moment they had met up with Lee.

At first, when the spandex-wearing boy had nervously explained what he had heard, Neji had been a little unnerved about the possibility that, what, at the time, he had assumed was nothing more than a rumor, might actually be true. But he hadn't wanted to believe it. So he had chosen not to.

However, as soon as Tenten showed up…

When he saw the ring on her finger, all sense of reality escaped him, whilst his heart shattered into a million little pieces.

He couldn't believe it. He didn't _want_ to believe it.

But … he couldn't deny what he had seen with his very own eyes.

It was an engagement ring. There was no denying it. The simple, yet classic, solitary band looked every bit an engagement ring; but more convincing than that, was the fact that the weapons mistress had been wearing it on the very finger in which an engagement ring was meant to be placed.

How was it possible? Neji wondered.

How could Tenten have gotten engaged without him ever even knowing that there had been a man in her life? All the time they had been teammates, partners, friends… Neji had never imagined that she had been involved with someone else. For so many years he had been harboring feelings for the kunoichi; too afraid to confess to her. Always rationalizing to himself that the perfect moment to finally tell her how he felt had not yet arrived.

Now it was too late…

Someone else had beaten him to it. Someone else had confessed. Someone else had won her heart. Someone else had stolen from him.

"Haah." Neji sighed; defeated. "It's too late." He mournfully mumbled, as he continued walking aimlessly through the forest.

But was it?

Neji had never met _Him_. Despite the fact that the Hyuga prodigy had never confessed to Tenten, he knew for a fact that she considered him her best friend; just as he did her. Knowing that was the case, Neji wondered why she had never mentioned _Him_. Why had she never introduced _Him_ to their team? Why had she kept _Him_ a secret?

Deciding that he was not just going to stand around and let the woman he loved, marry some other guy, Neji immediately turned toward his usual sparring grounds and made a mad dash toward the clearing, where he was certain the bun-haired kunoichi would be.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him.

A part of him wondered whether he was simply trying to rationalize his need to tell the girl (who, according to what he had seen was now happily engaged), that he loved her. But he didn't care.

Yes, he was aware that maybe it _was_ selfish of him to tell her. But how would he be able to face himself if he let the last remaining opportunity he had slip through his fingers? How could he ever live with the question of '_what if?_'

"Neji!" Tenten excitedly turned to greet the Hyuga as he approached the clearing.

Neji immediately surmised that she had obviously felt his presence before he arrived. Neji had long discovered it was an innate gift of hers, that she could feel him out, even when he was trying to conceal his chakra presence. She could also see into the depths of his soul, just by staring into his eyes; read his expressionless face with little effort, while others poked and prodded to try and figure out what he was thinking (though he never gave any the satisfaction of knowing).

"Hn." Neji nodded a greeting; averting his eyes from her watchful gaze, as the kunoichi quickly approached him.

At her side, Neji noticed the bun-haired girl was carrying a thin metallic blade in her left hand; her dominate hand. As soon as he noticed it, however, it disappeared. For the briefest moment, he wondered what it was. From the small glimpse that he had caught, it had seemed to be a long, sharp, sword-length weapon. Tenten owned a lot of weapons, and it rarely surprised the Hyuga to see her wielding steel other than shuriken and kunai. But he was familiar with each and every one of her weapons; and this one, was new.

"I've never-" Neji began, as the kunoichi walked up to him.

"Oh!" Tenten clapped her hands together excitedly as she smiled brightly while walking closer toward the Hyuga. "I've got to show you!" She eagerly proclaimed.

She looked happy.

She looked happy, and it tore apart his insides. Her smile was filled with joy and excitement. Her eyes filled with passion and love. Neji knew then, that as much as he didn't want to live regretting that he never told her how much he loved her; he would rather die before he ever hurt her…

He wasn't going to tell her.

"Look!" She enthusiastically thrust her left hand out in front of his face.

The ring immediately captured his attention as she brought the back of her hand up to his eye level.

"Look, look." Her elated smile grew larger, as the remaining shards of Neji's heart crumbled into tinier pieces than they already were. "It's amazing!" She excitedly stated, as she turned her palm up, revealing a tiny seal carved into the ring's platinum band. Moving her hand back away from the white-eyed shinobi, Tenten quickly bit the tip of her thumb, piercing the flesh, and then wiped the tiny drop of blood that dripped out, over the engraved seal. Immediately, the thin, sword-like weapon he had seen earlier shot out of the ring's band. "See?" she eagerly turned her smiling eyes back towards the Hyuga. "Hinata gave it to me this morning, isn't it great?"

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_**A/N**: HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!!! Hahaha… And that's all I've got to say about this one ;P


	70. Pink

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: I spent a large part of the day trying to make sesame seed balls… they didn't work out… so tomorrow we've decided to make dango instead... hopefully that'll turn out better…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**PINK  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

A cloud of white dust blinded the kunoichi eyes as she fell to the floor, along with the medium sized bowl in her hands. She blamed the stick of butter that had fallen off the counter a few minutes earlier.

At the time, she had known that it should have been picked up right away, but with so many things to do, and not enough time to do them all, she had decided to just leave it there until she was finished mixing her batter. Unfortunately, she forgot about it, as she walked back and forth between the tea on her stove and the rice balls she was making on the opposite counter. Without realizing it, she had accidentally stepped on the stick of butter, and fallen flat on her butt. If it had been anyone but her, she was certain the bowl of unfinished batter she was carrying, would have shattered to pieces, instead of landing safely in her hands. That, of course, didn't stop the contents of said bowl from spilling out all over her usually spotless kitchen.

"Tenten?" A familiar voice called out to her from behind the cloud of white-dust.

"Neji!" The flour covered kunoichi yelled out excitedly; eager to see someone who might be able to help her; not even questioning the fact that he'd obviously walked into her apartment despite the fact that the door had been locked. "Oh, no!" She cringed at the sudden realization of why exactly her sparring partner was actually there. "Sorry, sorry, sorry." Ignoring the dusty mess on her floor, she furiously bowed at the white-eyed shinobi's heel apologetically.

Looking up at him from behind the cloud of flour, for an instant, Tenten noted how remarkably angelic his noble air made the Hyuga appear in the dusty cloud of white. If she hadn't caught herself, Tenten would have gasped at the sight. But she was a kunoichi; well trained in concealing emotions. And besides that, she was used to seeing the breathtakingly beautiful shinobi that stood before her, every day. The man she had loved for years. It was hard to believe that he was actually more than just her teammate and sparring partner. He was also her boyfriend.

"Hn." Neji turned to look over the mess the kunoichi had made in her small kitchen; ignoring the girl's less than dignified appearance.

"I'm so sorry Neji." Tenten continued, as she accepted the hand he had offered to help her to her feet. "I meant to send someone to tell you this morning…"

"Tell me?" His right eyebrow arched questioningly.

"Haah." She sighed exasperatedly. "The girls." Tenten moaned.

"…" Silently, he waited for her to explain.

"They wanted to get together today for brunch." Tenten heavily sighed as she began brushing her pink tank top and white yoga pants. "And it's my turn to play hostess… so I've been cleaning and getting everything ready since early this morning," She gestured to the snacks on her counter, that she'd already finished, as well as the unfinished batter she'd just placed near the sink. "It's not going too well." She sighed.

"Hn." Neji grunted; as if to tell her that he could clearly see that without her needing to explain it to him.

"It's impossible." She groaned; closing her eyes and throwing her head back; exhausted from everything she'd had to do all morning.

"Do you require assistance?" He offered from besides the bubbling pot of tea.

"Ne…" Tears began to well up in her eyes. She had always known Neji was not as unemotional as he was usually thought to be, but she was touched by his thoughtfulness at the moment.

She had such a great boyfriend.

"Please." She nodded; smiling gratefully as he turned off the stove and removed the pot to prevent the tea from completely evaporating.

"Hn." Neji nodded, as he turned back to the mess that her fall had caused. "You're not hurt?" He asked; picking up what was left of the crushed stick of butter on the floor.

"No. Yes." She shook her head. "It was nothing. I'm fine."

"…" Neji remained motionless; watching her as she moved around the small kitchen; flustered by the mere joy of having him there.

"Umm…" A soft blush slowly colored her features, as she pulled the bowl of batter back over toward the sheet of wax paper she had set up earlier. Though he was her boyfriend, and had thus been in her house many times in the past, it seemed weird to have Neji in her kitchen; even more so, to have the both of them cooking together. It almost felt… "Could you help me mix this batter?" She asked; ignoring the blissful thought had was creeping into her mind as she added some more rice flour and water to the mix. "It needs to be solid enough to make little balls, but not too thick."

"You're making dango?" Neji inquired as he eyed the unmixed batter.

"Yeah." Tenten nodded. "It's the girls' favorite." She added, as way of explanation.

"Hn." He turned his attention back to the bowl of sweet rice flour.

"Umm…" Tenten hesitated; nervously staring down at the batter covered tiles below her.

"What?" Neji turned questioning at the kunoichi; he could tell she wanted to say something.

"Here." Tenten extended her left hand out to the Hyuga; holding a folded apron out to him.

"…" The prodigy curiously eyed the piece of cloth in her hand. "Tenten…?"

"You don't want to get dirty, do you?" Tenten reasoned, as she continued holding the apron out to him.

"It's pink." He glared at the offending article of clothes.

"It's the only one I have…" She smiled wearily; knowing her boyfriend well enough to know the rosy shade was definitely not a color he'd wear willingly.

"It's pink." He repeated.

"Oh, come on." She scoffed; rolling her eyes as she gave the apron another push in his direction. "You're not, scared of it, are you?" She playfully teased the Hyuga.

"Hn." His pride winning over his embarrassment, Neji grabbed the offending apron, and quickly pulled it over his head, before turning back to the bowl of batter; saying nothing more about the matter.

As she watched, out of the corner of her eye, Neji calmly used a fork to mix the batter in front of him (attempting to ignore the frilly pink apron that had been force on him), Tenten quickly cleaned the mess she'd made in her kitchen. In a matter of minutes, she put away most of the ingredients she was done with and washed the used dishes in her sink. Before she knew it, everything had been nicely cleaned, and the batter she and Neji had both been working on, had reached a soft, well combined, consistency.

"Okay." Tenten sighed, as she finished drying off her recently watched hands. "Now we make the dough balls." She instructed, before putting her freshly cleaned hands into the batter; gently kneading her hands through the dough as Neji turned toward the sink to wash his own hands.

Drying his hands on the pink apron, Neji turned towards her cupboards to look for a pot. She watched, amazed, that he could so easy search through her insanely organized shelves for the correct pot and strainer, despite the fact that he had never before been in her kitchen like this before. It made sense though, she reasoned, since Neji was already more than familiar with her way of thinking, it only stood to reason that he would know where everything was simply by deducing what kind person he knew Tenten was.

Expertly filled the pot he had found with water and placing it on the stove for the dumplings, Neji quickly made his way back over toward the kunoichi's side.

"Hehe." Tenten quietly giggled from beside her boyfriend, as Neji took a small chunk of the dough and began rolling it in his hands.

"What?" Neji asked, as her rolled the dough into a perfect circle.

"Nothing." Tenten turned her gaze back down to the batter.

"What is it?" He sternly repeated; always hating having his questions unanswered.

"I just…" She giggled again. "You seem to … 'fit' every where you are." She explained; without specifying that she what she really thought was that he 'fit' into her life so well.

"Even in this pink apron?" Neji uncharacteristically joked.

"hehe." Tenten smiled cheerfully. "Even in pink frosting." She teased, as she playfully smeared a bit of frosting from a cupcake on the counter next to her, on the Hyuga's surprised face.

Lost in the moment, Neji reached out past the kunoichi and pulled another pink cupcake off the counter next to her. Playfully smearing the frosting onto her shocked face, Neji smirked at the girl. "I think it looks better on you." He replied in turn.

"Oh yeah?" A devilish grin spread over the kunoichi's face, as she grabbed for the spray of pink frosting that she hadn't put away yet. "I beg to differ." She teased; squirting the pink foam onto the Hyuga's smirking face. "Pink is definitely your color." She triumphantly smiled, after drawing a pink smiley face on her boyfriend's cheek.

"Hn." Without losing a beat, Neji grabbed for the kunoichi's right wrist, as he pulled out another half empty can of pink frosting and sprayed it over the kunoichi's nose.

"Ahhh1" Tenten excitedly shrieked, as the two of them began a frosting war; each trying to spray the other with their respective can of frosting.

In a matter of minutes, the two sparring partners were covered in pink frosting; breathlessly rolling on the kitchen floor; having tumbled to the ground during their playful struggle.

"Hehehe." Tenten giggled at the sight of her usually stoic boyfriend, covered in pink frosting, carefully hovering over her.. Even with his hair a mess and his face covered in foamy sugar, somehow, to Tenten, Neji still seemed the same, noble and elegant man she knew and loved. "Yeah." She nodded; extending a finger up to whip some frosting off his chin. The two of them were practically on top of each other; she could almost feel his breath on her flushed face. "Pink is definitely your color." She smirked, before bringing her finger back to her lips; tasting the sugary confection.

"And I reiterate." Smiling playfully as he leaned down over the kunoichi, the frosting-covered shinobi gently licked the corner of her mouth. "It's much better on you." He teased, as he gently lowered himself closer towards her; wrapping his arms around the kunoichi's waist. "Tastes good too." He added, as he teasingly brushed his lips over hers.

"Ne-" Tenten gasped; but before she could finish, he quickly covered her mouth with his as he began devouring her lips with his; savoring the combined taste of the sugary frosting and her sweet and salty lips. "Ne-" She panted for breath, as his mouth followed a trail of frosting from her lips down her neck.

"Ahem." An exaggerated cough from over them pulled the two lovers from their blissful moment. "So are we having Neji for dessert? Or is that just your treat Tenten?" The familiar teasing voice of Tenten's blond friend questioned from above the pair.

"Haah." Tenten gasped as she stated up at the three younger girls, who had apparently walked into her apartment without either her or Neji noticing. "I've really got to fix that lock." She moaned in frustration.

"Hn." Neji grunted his agreement.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_**A/N**: Hey, it's been a while since I posted a 3am story… off to bed now. **;P**

**Be nice, leave me a review ;)**


	71. Too Cute

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: I've been meaning to do this story for the longest time… finally decided it was time…  
WARNING: _slight_ KibaHina implied (but it's one-sided so, you NaruHina fans shouldn't be too disappointed).

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

*****PLEASE READ IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE BOTTOM*****

**

* * *

**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**TOO CUTE  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"We ready boy?" Kiba looked down at the enormous 'puppy' playfully wagging its tail next to him.

"Arf!" Akamaru cheerfully barked his response.

"Alright!" Kiba smiled at the dog as he ran his long nimble fingers through the unkempt spikes on his head. Kiba didn't need to look in a mirror to know his hair was a mess; that was just the way he liked it. "Let's go get her then!" The Inuzuka exclaimed, before adjusting the collar of his new leather jacket and jumping onto the large dog's back. Together, dog and master, sped through the peaceful, quiet village; both equally excited about being able to stretch their legs a bit, after months of endlessly slow days.

Presently, there were few missions being assigned to the village, so most of the Leaf shinobi had, in a sense, been put on forced vacation. It wasn't that it really bothered anyone, but after so long with nothing to do, even routine training was beginning to become a bore. That morning, with his chores completed, Kiba had decided to call on his teammates to do some light exercises, and then maybe take half the day to do something fun. He had been about to go over to Shino's place to invite him over, when he remembered the Aburame was off on some bug collecting expedition with his father. Kiba been a little disappointed upon remembering, but then realized it might actually have been a blessing in disguise. It was then that he decided that it might actually be nicer to take a day off to do nothing but stroll around the forests.

"Haah." Kiba sighed as he and Akamaru came to a complete stop at the edge of the forest near the large, intimidating building in front of him. "Ready to have some fun?" Kiba asked his best friend, as he looked out into the looming complex where his favorite kunoichi, was held captive.

"Arf!" Akamaru barked; readily agreeing with his master.

"Haha." Kiba softly chuckled as he gently patted Akamaru's head while leaping off the large dog's back.

Smiling at the dog's enthusiasm, as well as the prospect of a fun day with the kunoichi of his team, Kiba felt like he was practically gliding on air. He was so lost in his happiness, Kiba barely registered the moment when he almost walked right into a certain brunette standing just outside the looming building.

"Hi Kiba, hi Akamaru." Tenten gleefully greeted the boy and his dog, as Akamaru pulled at the back of his jacket to keep Kiba from running into the girl.

"Oh! Hey Tenten." Kiba smiled cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Nothing much." Tenten happily replied; shrugging her shoulders as she walked with him toward the large double doors of the compound. "Just here to get Neji." She explained. Not that she needed to; anyone in the village would have immediately assumed, upon finding her outside the Hyuga compound, that Tenten was there for no other reason than to see the white-eyed terror.

"Jeeze." Kiba laughed slightly; shaking his head incredulously.

After all the years he had known Tenten (running into her often enough when both of them happened to come to the compound to pick up their respective Hyuga teammates at the same time), Kiba had never quite been able to understand why it was that someone as sweet and friendly as the Tenten, could actually get along, much less be friends, with the most cold-hearted bastard in the known world.

"Tch." He scoffed. "You're probably the only person in the world who can put up with that guy." Kiba candidly stated; without any doubt in his mind that he was right.

"He's not that bad you know." Tenten innocently smiled; although he was certain even she didn't completely believe her assertion. Everyone knew, there weren't very many people who could handle the Hyuga's temper; and even fewer still who _Neji_ could tolerate.

"Haah." Kiba shook his head again; scratching the back of his neck as he wondered a loud. "I don't know what that guy's waiting for though."

"Huh?" Tenten turned to look at him questioningly; cocking her head to the side as her right hand rose to knock gently on the solid oak doors of the compound. "What do you mean?"

"Haha." Kiba chuckled; amused by her innocent naivety.

He had always found it funny how completely unaware of her own beauty Tenten truly was. Of all the girls that Kiba knew, Tenten had to be one of the few whom he considered genuinely beautiful. While she wasn't an over the top glamour goddess, or a movie siren, there was just something about her that made her incredibly endearing. She, though not the made up Barbie-doll beauty, was the classic girl next door type of beautiful.

There were few who were as comfortable in their skin as she was. Unlike a lot of girls who hid their true persona, only to come out terrifying the men who got close to them when their true colors came to light, Tenten never pretended to be nicer, or sweeter, or calmer than she really was. But of course, it didn't hurt that Tenten _was_ actually a very sweet girl.

While she could, on occasion, have quite the temper; over all the Tenten Kiba knew, was one of nicest people he had ever met. At the same time, however, she was never afraid of speaking her mind; even, if at times, it meant upsetting others with her brutal honesty. She wasn't shy about being who she was either; even if it meant being un-girly. In fact, Kiba suspected, it was precisely because she was so un-girly, or rather 'tomboyish' as some people liked to refer to her, that Tenten attracted a large number of Konoha's male population; not that anyone would admit it out loud (at least not soberly), given the company she usually kept.

On several occasions during his frequent outings with the guys (to some of the less savory districts in the village), Kiba had often overheard many guys, civilian and shinobi alike, that had attested to harboring certain romantic feelings for the bun-haired kunoichi. If not for the menacing man consistently standing by her side, Kiba was certain the weapons-mistress could easily be _the_ most sought after girl in the village. It seemed, to a lot of the men in Konoha, there was just someone utterly fascinating about a girl who could be as sweet as honey, yet as deadly as poison.

Actually, though Kiba himself only saw her as friend, even he had to admit there was something rather alluring about her. But it wasn't just her simple beauty, or her unending kindness, or her talent and skill; what made Tenten truly different from most other girls, and even more allure to a lot of men, was the fact that she was completely, and totally, unaware of just how incredibly attractive she actually was.

"Man, you're too cute Tenten." Kiba smirked over at the bun-haired kunoichi.

"Huh?" Tenten stared bewilderedly at the younger man; exactly as he'd expected her to react.

"Hn." An annoyed-sounding grunt called the pairs attention over to the now opened oak doors.

Turning to face the familiar stoic expression of one Hyuga Neji standing in the doorway, Kiba's smirk widened as he wondered whether or not 'Mr. Ice-cube' had heard what he's just said to his precious teammate. From the livid gleam in Neji's eyes, Kiba assumed that in all likelihood, the Hyuga _had_ heard Kiba call the kunoichi cute. Inwardly, Kiba praised himself for that. It wasn't often one could get any strong emotion out of the cold-hearted Hyuga prodigy; annoying him was simple, but truly pissing him off (as Kiba could clearly see he had done), was a major accomplishment. Though it was true, at present, that the two of them were friends, deep down Kiba couldn't deny there were still lingering feelings of resentment toward the Hyuga for what he had put Hinata through during their first chunin exams. While Kiba no longer hated Neji for having hurt the shy heiress, he did find it rather pleasurable to irritate the Hyuga whenever he could.

"Oi, Neji!" Kiba greet the enraged shinobi as friendlily as he could, as he moved over toward the bun-haired kunoichi and threw his left arm over her shoulders. "How's it going?" He smirked at the older man.

"…" Neji's hate-filled eyes heated with an intensity Kiba had never before witnessed. He was certain, had the kunoichi standing next to him been paying any attention to the two men, instead of petting the enormous white dog wagging his tail at her feet, Tenten probably would have noticed how angry the white-eyed shinobi was. But thanks to Akamaru's quick thinking (having realized his master's intentions right from the start and deciding to play decoy), Tenten was completely unaware; making it appear almost as if she was perfectly comfortable with Kiba's arm wrapped around her.

"Hi Neji." Tenten innocently smiled over at the fuming Hyuga, while still petting the hyper Akamaru. "Ready to go?"

"Hn." Neji turned his glaring eyes away from the Inuzuka to calmly face his teammate. "I apologize, but Hiashi-sama has summoned the Clan to a meeting."

"Oh." Tenten sighed disappointedly. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." She wearily smiled; shrugging her shoulders in the process. "It's okay."

"…" Kiba frowned as he looked back and forth, between the two teammates. Just as the disappointment of what Neji's words implicated in regards to his plans to invite Hinata out for a walk with him and Akamaru began to sink in, an idea for an even more amusing way to spend his boring day came to him. "Oi, Tenten." Kiba smiled down warmly at the kunoichi still wrapped in his right arm; all the while maintaining the Hyuga in sight out of the corner of his eyes.

"What?" Tenten awkwardly looked up at the fang-faced man; unable to really see him since his arm was partially obstructing her view.

"Since both our plans fell through." He began; watching the Hyuga for his reaction. "How about you and I go on a date?" Kiba asked. And without waiting for the kunoichi's response, he immediately began pulling the girl away from the quickly enraging Hyuga left standing at the twin oak doors.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Hn…" Kiba curiously eyed the girl seated across the table from her. The two of them had been eating lunch at the local noodle shop across from the Ichiraku Ramen Stand, where the two of them had been eating lunch for the past fourty five minutes.

From around the room, Kiba could sense a number of male eyes steadfastly focused on the weapons mistress. With her signature hair-buns undone, Kiba could easily understand why. It wasn't the first time he had seen the kunoichi with her hair down, but because it was so rare a sight, even he couldn't help but being surprised, as well as drawn in, by the simple change in the girl's appearance.

She was very cute.

"What the hell is that idiot waiting for?" Kiba mumbled to himself.

"huh?" Tenten looked up from her bowl; quickly sipping up a tiny noodle into her mouth. "Did you say something?"

"No, nothing." Kiba shook his head; amused at how cute she looked, covering her face with her hand as she tried to hide the fact that she still had food in her mouth.

"…" The girl cocked her head to the side curiously, before shrugging and then returning her attention to her bowl of noodles.

"Hey… Tenten." Kiba began again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah." She nodded; putting her chopsticks down as she turned to face him again. "Sure."

"What exactly do you see in that guy?" Kiba asked.

"…" She stared at him curiously; thinking the question over carefully. "You know…" Tenten began. "Neji really isn't that bad."

"…" Kiba suspiciously stared back at the girl; his right eyebrow rose up, doubtful.

"No, I'm serious." Tenten replied back to his disbelieving smirk. "He may come off a bit…"

"Jerkish?" Kiba offered.

"haha." Tenten chuckled; lightheartedly shaking her head. "I was going to say 'distant', but that works too…"

"Fufu." Kiba chuckled under his breath. It was good to know, despite whatever feelings the girl might have for the white-eyed prodigy, at least she wasn't deluding herself about who he really was.

"He's actually a really sweet guy though." Tenten sheepishly asserted.

"Sweet?" Kiba inwardly laughed at the image of a Neji being anything remotely close to the word. Tenten was sweet _Hinata_ was sweet. But Neji?... Sweet, was not the word Kiba would ever use to describe the stoic Hyuga.

"I'm not kidding." Tenten firmly replied. "He may be a bit harsh sometimes."

"Tch. Sometimes?" Kiba sneered.

"Okay, a lot of the time." Tenten acknowledged. "But… There are times when he's really nice. He's very supportive of all his friends. Kind and considerate of the people he cares for. He's …"

On and on she went, as Kiba attempted not to laugh out loud at the obviousness of her affections for the stoic prodigy.

It was cute.

Kiba could only hope to wish someday that the girl he liked would like him half as much as Tenten seemed to love Neji.

It was difficult for Kiba to wrap his mind around the fact that someone as nice and… normal… as Tenten could have possibly fallen for someone as annoyingly unemotional as Neji. At the same time, it was kind of sad to think that a girl as great as Tenten was wasted on a guy who would probably never admit his own true feelings; leaving the poor girl to suffer an despairing amount of heartache and loneliness.

"Hey Tenten." Kiba interrupted the kunoichi as she continued complimenting the undeserving Hyuga.

"Yeah?" She waited for him to continue.

"Lets go for a walk." He decided; before calling for the check and paying their bill.

After leaving the restaurant, together, Kiba and Tenten walked calmly through the village outskirts. As they rounded the corner toward the open training fields closest to the village, Kiba felt a sudden, though not all too surprising, heated shiver run down his spine. He had been waiting for that moment since he and Tenten had begun their walk. Abruptly stopping, Kiba stepped in front of Tenten and placed both hands on each of the kunoichi's shoulders. Spinning the weapons mistress until he found the exact position he wanted her in, Kiba playfully smiled at the girl; trying to keep her from realizing what he was up to.

"What are you doing Kiba?" Tenten curiously asked the younger man.

"Ahh…" Kiba stalled as he quickly scanned behind the kunoichi to locate a certain shadow he knew was there (as he could easily smell the very distinct scent of one very pissed off prodigy). "Nothing really." He turned down to look at her; releasing his grip of her shoulders. "Stand still for a second will you?" Kiba requested, as he extended his right hand out to tilt the kunoichi's head to the left a little.

"huh?" Tenten bewilderedly eyed the man. "Wh-"

"Eyelash." Kiba quickly replied; coming up with the first excuse he could think of.

"Okay." Tenten obliged; keeping her head in the position Kiba had set it.

Quickly glancing over the top of the kunoichi's head, an incredible idea formed in the Inuzuka's head. As he approached the kunoichi, with one hand cupping her chin, as the other extended a finger out to reach for the fake eyelash on her face, Kiba brought his face as close to the kunoichi as possible.

If she were any other girl, Kiba was certain being that close to her face would have made Tenten blush profusely. But knowing the weapons mistress as he did, Kiba was certain that the idea of him even remotely doing anything other than what he had claimed he was going to do, never even entered into the kunoichi's mind. A tiny voice in Kiba's head urged him to lean just a little further and find out what her soft lips might taste like, but of course, his instant to survive told him it was a terrible idea. Though he was intentionally making it look like he was kissing her (and he was certain from the angle the Hyuga was currently observing the pair, that was exactly what it would appear to be), contrary to popular belief, Kiba wasn't stupid. And he certainly wasn't foolish enough to actually go through with kissing the temperamental prodigy's sparring partner.

"KIBA!" An angry growl, followed shortly by tug at his brand new leather jacket, had the Inuzuka facing the firey glare he had been expecting.

"Neji." Kiba smugly addressed the older shinobi currently grip him by the collar.

"Neji, what are you doing?" Tenten immediately stepped forward; nervously shifting her worried gaze between the two men. Kiba was certain, with how innocently unassuming the girl was, the thought that Neji could possibly be jealous of what the two had been doing (or at least what Kiba had led the prodigy to believe), never even entered her mind.

"Hn." Neji gravely turned over to look at the kunoichi; politely, but sternly indicating to the girl that this was between Kiba and him.

"Fine." Tenten shrugged. "I don't get it, but whatever." She sighed; turning towards the training fields. "Just don't kill each other." She shouted before taking off in the direction of her team's training grounds.

"Oi, Tenten!" Kiba called out to the kunoichi before she could leave.

"Yeah?" She turned expectantly.

Figuring he had nothing left to lose, Kiba decided to go for the kill. "I had a great time on our _date_." He emphasized the last word; smiling as best he could from his position hanging off the Hyuga's fist. "We should do it again some time."

"Hahaha." Tenten chuckled; shaking her head incredulously at the blatant overconfidence of the Inuzuka. "Well if you survive… we'll see." She smirked; waving goodbye before she ran off towards the clearing where her team trained.

"I wouldn't count on it." Neji furiously growled, after the kunoichi was out of earshot.

"Tch." Kiba brazenly brushed the older shinobi's hands off of him; attempting as best as he could to remain calm and confident (one of which was not always the easiest thing for the Inuzuka to do). "You're an idiot if you think she'll wait around forever." He grumbled.

"What are you-" Neji angrily began.

"Make your move Hyuga." Kiba nonchalantly brushed his hands across his jacket, as if he were dusting himself off of some invisible dirt. "She's too cute to be single for much longer."

And with those parting words, Kiba left the infuriated prodigy to think over his advice; inwardly relieved that he had somehow managed to escape a fight with the white-eyed shinobi. Though he was nowhere near as scared of the older shinobi as he had once been, Kiba was certain he'd eventually end up paying for everything he had done that day, but at the moment, he was going to enjoy the small victory of seeing the prodigy dumbstruck and unable to respond. Getting to piss Neji off, and possibly helping out the bun-haired kunoichi, made it all worthwhile…

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
****THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

**A/N**: eeh… I did the first part of this story weeks ago… the second part was impossible to really get through though. I wanted to make them kiss or something, but the fact of the matter is, since it was in Kiba's POV, it was a difficult task to try to accomplish in the first place so… yeah… there will be other fics where I can get them to kiss, so for now this is good enough.

* * *

**IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM AUTHORESS: I'm taking some time off from updating all fanfics… I'm sorry, I'm leaving for China in 3 days, and though I've decided to take my laptop with me to check emails and stuff, I very much doubt I'll have any free time for writing … I won't be back until mid-June, so unfortunately that means no updates of any kind, until I come back… also, I'm still working on UNDER THE DRAGON MOON, so of course that'll take priority when I get back, which means this collection won't be updated for quite some time… Thanks for understanding XD**

**

* * *

  
**


	72. So Much

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: Yes I'm back! XD … Unfortunately for those who are only reading this story and not my other one, me being back probably doesn't make much of a difference because other than this chapter, I'm going to be concentrating on UNDER THE DRAGON MOON. **_The next update here will probably not be until Neji's Birthday (which I already have an idea for)._**

_**WARNING**_: I was trying something with this one (something I've tried in other chapters before, but never to this extent). I wanted to see how far I could make it through the story without saying anyone's name, but at the same time making it obvious who was who… Neji's part (since his is the POV), was a little challenging, but I think I did okay with it. Anyway, enjoy!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**SO MUCH  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Geeze." The blond to his left scoffed towards her yawning teammate. "What's with _him_?" She growlingly whispered toward the uninterested male.

"Why do you care?" The lazy shinobi yawned, as he waved dismissively at the other boy offering him chips.

"I don't!" The blond kunoichi retorted; though it was clear from her tone she wasn't being entirely forthcoming. "It's just…" She hesitantly paused. "She's been gone for almost a whole month and he's just sitting there as if he doesn't even care."

"Maybe he doesn't." The fat one with the potato chips opined from besides the other boy, who seemed more interested in staring at the dark sky above, then listening to the irritating blond kunoichi.

"That just makes it even worse!" The girl groaned. "Agh!" She clenched her jaw agitatedly. "How can she…" She paused. "I just… I feel sorry for her." She sighed. The two other boys besides her silently nodded their agreement.

Did they really think he couldn't hear them? Or maybe perhaps they just naturally assumed that he didn't care what they said about him; an assessment which he acknowledged wasn't entirely inaccurate. Still, one would expect some level of delicacy when speaking about a person behind their back; the very least of which would be that they wait until the person's back was actually turned before speaking of them in a critical manner.

But it didn't really matter. Though it annoyed him to have people speak of him and decide for themselves what they thought they knew about him, in the end it made no difference. He was who he was and he wasn't about to change for anyone. It didn't matter that people thought he was heartless or uncaring. Really, as long as _she_ didn't think so, it didn't matter to him what others thought of him anyway…

"Haah." He sighed softly under his breath.

Thinking about her made the hollow ache in his chest (which had first come to surface the day she told him she was leaving), grow all the more painful. Inside him, a need to crush something, just to numb the emptiness within, was beginning to gnaw at his subconscious. He wanted to get up and leave; to busy himself with training or whatever, just to make the time go faster. But he couldn't do that. He couldn't leave, because at any moment, _she_ might arrive while he was gone; and he didn't want to make their separation any longer than it had already grown to be.

Wanting to distract his wandering mind from the painful agony of loneliness, he turned away from where the blond kunoichi was still making asinine comments about his heartlessness, to face the opposite direction. On his right, were his cousin and her teammates; along with the other loud blond and his kunoichi teammate. They were all just as equally busy gossiping as those to his left, that they hardly seemed to realize they too were talking about him as if he wasn't even there…

"Maybe now he won't be as moody as he's been in the last three weeks." The pink-haired kunoichi grumpily commented to the group. "I'm tired of having to deal with packed hospital rooms just because he can't seem to control his temper." She groaned.

"Can you really blame him though?" The fang-faced shinobi standing across from her shrugged. "I mean, he's had to endure a full month of training with those two." He paused to gesture at the two overly enthusiastic shinobi standing at the center of the front gate threshold. "Who wouldn't go crazy at that?"

"Yeah." The blond shinobi nodded earnestly. "Even I couldn't handle more than a day of one-on-one training with them." He added.

"I… I guess." The pink haired girl reluctantly nodded.

It was true that in large part his temper had been a result of having to spar with the two loudest, most obnoxious, shinobi in the entire village; but he was used to that. The fact that _she_ wasn't there to compensate for the other two's insanity did make things a little more difficult than usual, but not enough to drive him insane. What _was_ driving him mad was the fact that it had been three weeks since he'd seen her. Though he had long ago realized his feelings for her, he didn't really realize until she went away for her recent mission (which had taken nearly an entire month), just how much he truly needed her.

He missed her.

He was so accustomed to having her by his side at all times, that now that she wasn't there, it was almost as if a piece of him were missing from his soul.

"She's coming! She's coming!" The younger of the two shinobi standing at the front gate yelled out enthusiastically, as he energetically jumped up and down.

No one moved.

It wasn't the first time the spandex-clad boy had made the same assertion, only to be quickly discovered that it was just some distant shadow he had seen; or, on one occasion, a mere squirrel that the boy had seen. The rest of them caught on soon after that that it was best to simply ignore the boy and wait to see if someone actually approached the main gates.

Curiosity and a desperate need to have her there already kept _him_, however, looking over each and every time. Despite the many false alarms, this time was no different either. Discretely activating his Kekkei Genkai, he noticed that in fact someone _was_ approaching them.

"Oh." The bowl-headed boy sighed. "It is not her." He sighed dejectedly. But he was wrong.

Seeing the girl that was slowly approaching the front gates, dressed in an elegant light blue silk kimono, with tiny yellow silk ribbons in her loosely flowing chocolate-tinted hair, _he_ recognized her immediately. Though she was not dressed in her usual baggy clothes and familiar hairstyle, there was no doubt in his mind about the identity of the beauty walking in their direction.

Instantly realizing what the others had not, he rose to his feet; off the tree stump he had been sitting on patiently for the last few hours. It took all of his strength and will power to restrain himself from simply running towards her and pinning her down on the dirty floor.

"Hn." He smirked at the idea. They thought he was unemotional? Uncaring? Unfeeling? Dead inside? He knew if he really cared what they thought about him, he could easily prove them all wrong by rushing towards the girl, pulling her into his arms, and passionately kissing her with enough heat to cause them all to melt in the smoldering fervor of his desire. And boy did he ever want to; but no, that was not in his nature. He would show her how much he missed her, but not until the two of them were alone together, so that they could savor every moment of it.

Calmly closing the small distance between himself and the threshold, he stopped in front of her; resisting the urge to lovingly run his fingers through her loosely fallen hair. He could feel the other's eyes on them; scrutinizing his every move, and wondering what was going on. But he ignored him.

"You're late." He stated as he stared down at her doll-like face.

"It's nice to see you too." She sarcastically replied.

"Hn." He gave a non-committal grunt in response.

Staring into her honey tinted eyes as he stood over her, he (at long last) felt at peace. The ache and hollowness within him was quickly disappearing under the warmth of her tender smile. He was so entranced by the feeling of having her near him again, that before he realized what was going on, he felt himself being roughly pulled forward. A arm reached out around his neck; fingers began running through his hair, as the other hand tightly gripped the front of his shirt. The force of her lips pressed hungrily up against his, mirroring the fevered passion that he too felt within him, let him know she had missed him just as much as he had her.

When the two of them finally parted, she looked up at him and smiled that special smile of hers that she only ever reserved for him. "Didn't you miss me at all Neji?" She softly whispered as she collapsed into his chest, where he held her tightly.

"Tenten…" He stared at her soft hazel eyes as he gently touched the side of her angelic face, brushing a brown lock of hair away from her cheek.

"Not even a little?" She whispered into his chest.

Pulling her tighter into him, he deeply sighed; feeling the weight of their separation at long last being lifted from his shoulders. "I did." He exhaustedly whispered into her hair as he hugged her tighter. "So much…"

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_**A/N**: I didn't forget about the others… I just think Neji and Tenten definitely _did_ forget about the others… hehehe… but can you blame them?


	73. Tradition

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: hehehe… it's kind of fitting that chapter **73** (posted on 7/3) is a Neji-birthday fic… **;P**

**THIS STORY IS NOW OFFICIALLY 2 YEARS OLD.** With well over ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND hits, and over FIVE HUNDRED favorites and alerts, and over ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED reviews, this is my most successful story/collection and I have ALL OF YOU READERS to thank for that. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU… and most all, _**THANKS TO THE WONDERFUL REVIEWERS!!! **__I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!_

_

* * *

_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**TRADITION  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

It was early in the twilight hours on July the 3rd, when the bun-haired kunoichi found herself lost in the Nara forest. Well, she wasn't exactly lost so much as she just didn't know where she was. The sun had yet to rise, and as a result, the farthest Tenten could really see, was to the tip of her nose.

Now generally, being stuck in a dense forest in the middle of the night, without any light whatsoever would usually not be a problem for the kunoichi. But normally, she would have had a certain all-seeing white-eyed prodigy walking along side her to tell her what was around them; or, at the very least, she would have paid attention to where she was going. This time, however, there was no prodigy, and she had been so preoccupied with other thoughts, that she had completely neglected to notice where she had walked off to; so for the moment (at least until the sun rose and she could see her way across the dizzying forest), Tenten didn't have a clue as to where in the Nara forest she had wandered off too.

"Haah." She sighed. "I guess it serves me right." She half-hearted mumbled to herself as she once more berated herself for waiting until the last minute to do what she had promised herself she would take care of months earlier. "Agh." Tenten groaned; trying hard not to clench her fist, lest she should crush the one thing she _had_ taken care of.

Looking down at the silvery bow of ribbons in her hand, Tenten's heart sank in her chest, as she was once more reminded of the fact that she had nothing to put it on. It was five months earlier that Tenten had found the sparkling silver bow which perfectly matched a certain pair of eyes. Captivated by the uniqueness of the color of said ribbons, Tenten had immediately decided she knew exactly what she was going to do with it. Knowing there existed a certain combination of metals that, when blended correctly, gave off a similar appearance to the color of the bow, Tenten had set out to create a special weapon that she could put the sparkling ribbons on. Unfortunately, the metals she needed were scarce, and thus Tenten hadn't been unable to make her idea into a reality. She had searched endlessly; taking on missions to far off lands in order to try and find the right metals. But in the end, all she really had to show for her tireless effort was a useless sparkling silver bow.

"I tried." Tenten sighed. "I really did." She told the darkness; as if saying it aloud would somehow bring her a solution to her lack of ideas.

She _had_ tired, but unfortunately, her plans had come to not; and she had been forced to look for a substitute gift at the very last minute. And that was how she had ended up wandering the forest. She had gone to every story in Konoha; she had even tired close by neighboring villages, but nothing seemed to be good enough.

"Haah." Tenten sighed heavily; exhausted from all the running around she'd done that day, looking for something suitable.

She was tired. And she was cold.

A chilling breeze rushed pasted the kunoichi, as she stretched out her one empty hand; trying to feel around for a nearby tree to lean on, and to use to block away the frigid wind; wind that was unusually for that time of year. "Burrr." Tenten shuttered, as she continued feeling around in the darkness; quickly pulling her hair out of their trademark buns to give her neck a little coverage.

She was surprised, after a few moments of searching, to suddenly come into contact with a rather low-hanging branch. Tenten was even more surprised, given the thickness she felt, that there would be a tree with such large branches so low to the ground. For a moment, the kunoichi wondered if perhaps she had wandered toward a cliff-side, and the branch she was feeling was actually near the top of a large tree that was growing over the side of a mountain.

"Oh, that wouldn't end well." Tenten told herself, before continuing, slowly, feeling around for the base of the tree.

As she carefully moved along the length of the tree branch, however, Tenten realized it wasn't howling winds over a deep ravine that she heard on the other side of the branch, but something else; something which sounded vaguely similar to a bubbling noise. It was a familiar sound, but because it was so faint and subtle, Tenten couldn't quite place where she had heard it before. Being the curious person that she was, however, Tenten decided to do a little investigation; all the while remaining close to the tree to avoid falling off some cliff, just in case she was wrong.

Bending down, under the branch, the bun-haired kunoichi reached forward to touch the other side and figure out the source of the sound. Just as her fingers grazed what would be the ground level, a sudden feel of moisture immediately told her what the sound she was hearing actually was.

It was water.

A lake, from what she could tell; given that it clearly wasn't running water. One thing Tenten could determine with almost complete certainty, considering the fact that there was a tree growing out of it, was that it was a deep lake. Unfortunately, there weren't that many deep lakes around the village; but more importantly, Tenten had never been to a lake deep enough to have a tree growing out it; which could mean only one thing… She really had no idea where she was.

"Crap." Tenten cursed, as she stood up to lean over the low-hanging branch. "I'll never make it." She sighed; feeling incredibly foolish for having allowed herself to end up in such a predicament.

Wherever it was she was, Tenten knew one thing for sure, there was no way she was close enough to the village to run across the forest and to the other side of the village before the sun rose. And even if she could, by then, it would probably already be too late.

"Haah." Tenten sighed dejectedly. "Not that I could make it in this darkness." She grumbled, before pushing herself off the tree branch to try and find a place to sit. "Haah." She sighed again; looking down at the small sparkling silver glow, which she could vaguely make out, in her left hand.

"This all your fault!" She reprimanded the bow of ribbons in her hand, before angrily throwing it out into the dark abyss in front of her.

"Hn." A deep, familiar grunt from the direction of the bow surprised Tenten. Her heart immediately leapt to her throat. A silvery sparkle in the darkness was all she could make out, but nonetheless, Tenten knew whose grunt that was. "Neji." She wearily whispered. "What are you doing out here?" She asked the darkness.

"Hn." Tenten could hear footsteps moving towards her. "Should I not be the one asking you that?" His voice sounded close.

"Ne" She stopped; suddenly feeling him standing directly in front her. He couldn't have been more than a few inches away. She could feel the heat of his body radiating off of him and into her.

"You're cold." Neji stated, before slowly wrapping his arms around her and pulling the kunoichi into his chest.

She had felt cold earlier, but it wasn't until that moment that Tenten realize how truly freezing she had been. Feeling his warmth pressed up against her now, she felt like she was being enveloped in a comfortable cocoon of peaceful happiness.

But then she remembered…

Gently pushing herself away from the shinobi, Tenten tired to look up at his face; the first morning rays were beginning to break through the dense trees, and, with the help of the lake's reflective surface bouncing the rays of the newly visible moon as it crept out from behind the dark clouds that had been shielding it, Tenten could just barely make out the outline of his profile as his all-seeing white eyes looked down tenderly at her. "I'm sorry Neji." She apologetically whispered.

"Hn." Neji continued to looked down warmly at the kunoichi. "What for?" He genuinely asked.

"I missed it this year." She mournfully replied; not going into any unnecessary explanations about what she had missed.

With the golden hues of the morning sun beginning to filter its way through the dense forest and the fading rays of the setting moon, Tenten knew she had indeed missed _it_. It wasn't like it was a big deal or anything; just a simple gesture. But over the years, it had become a tradition. One which she had started, and now, apparently, ended. It truly broke her heart to know she had missed something so important; something she had hope would stay with them for many more years to come; and would always remind them of the moment it all started…(**1**)

"And…" She continued, in a child-like whimper. "I didn't even get you a present." Tenten dolefully whispered.

"Hn." Neji pulled up the silvery bow he still had in his right hand. Slowly, he pealed back the white paper that guarded the bow's adhesive back. Then, without a word, Neji brought the bow up to Tenten's face and stuck it on her forehead. "This will do." He added, before calmly leaning down and lightly brushed the tip of her nose with his lips.

"Ahaah." Tenten inhaled deeply. She could feel the warmth of his breath as his lips moved gracefully down towards hers.

Tenderly, gently, he kissed her, and she kissed him back. Closing her eyes and moaning softly as he ran his fingers through her silky hair, it seemed to go on forever; the most amazing kiss she's ever had, stirring a warmth inside her body, as little by little the warm, gentle kiss, turned into a passionate whirlwind of emotions.

As they parted, out of breath and flushed from their heated kiss, Tenten looked up mesmerized by the sight of the rarely seen smile planted firmly on the Hyuga's lips. Her heart was pounding inside her chest, as she found herself breathlessly looking up at him; all early thoughts about the cold and about her failures at complete her task, long forgotten.

"Tenten." Neji mumbled, as he brought her back to reality; at the same time pulling her back into his chest and into his warmth.

"Hn?" Tenten moaned questioningly; still completely dazed by their earlier kiss.

"You haven't missed it." He whisperingly informed her.

Electricity ran up and down her body, as Tenten finally realized why Neji was out there; he had come out searching for her. At some point, he had realized she was late and wouldn't make it, and he had sought her out instead of waiting for her to come to him. Knowing he had gone to such lengths to look for her; to avoid everyone else; all in the effort of keeping their tradition alive for another year, brought a warm tingling feeling to her heart.

She didn't miss it… She didn't miss her chance…

Smiling up at him, she rejoiced in the fact of knowing she would be the first again this year. "Happy birthday Neji."

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
****THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Once again, I thank you all for your wonderful support in these last two years. You, the readers, are the reason I enjoy writing these stories. As long as you continued reading and reviewing my stories, I promise, I will continue to write them. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH!**

**(1) **My first one shot… what started it all…

A/N: Yes, yes... i'm recycling ideas... lol... the title of this chapter, of course, refers not only the first chapter in this collection, but also to the 51st (in case you've forgotten)... guess it's a tradition now **;P**


	74. Not a Date pt1

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: Taking a teeny-tiny break from the angst of UNDER THE DRAGON MOON to do a humorous 2shot, dedicated to my dear friend _**fmorgana**_, who helped bounce around ideas for this story (as well as another GaaTenNeji that I'll be writing as soon as UTDM is finished ;P) Hope you all like it ;)

WARNING: It's part 1 of 2, so the NejiTen-ness is a little on the light side, but no worries, there's some there…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS, THEY'RE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!!!**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**NOT A DATE pt.1  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Staring up into the dark wood ceiling above her head; in a small corner of the restaurant she came to once every month, Tenten resisted the urge to sigh in frustration. She hated waiting. Punctuality was a trait she greatly appreciated in her teammates and in her friends. She valued her time; making sure to always utilize it to it's utmost. Unfortunately, on the last Friday of every month, trying to keep to a proper schedule was all but impossible. No, on that day, tardiness was to be expected; and she, to be the one to wait.

"Aaaah. You're late!" Tenten aggravatedly moaned into the empty chair in front of her.

"Sorry about that." A deep masculine voice from behind her startled the kunoichi. She hadn't expected her complaint to actually reach the person responsible for her frustration. "You see, I was rescuing this little girl from a bad dog and-"

"Forget it!" Tenten interrupted the masked man as he went into his usual routine of making up some ludicrous excuse. "It doesn't ma– wait, what?" She paused; turning upward to face the silver haired jounin standing besides her. "'Bad dog'?" She amusedly repeated the older man's words.

"Yes." Kakashi replied as he walked over to take a seat directly across from her.

"Bad dog?" She repeated again.

"Yes." He nodded; picking up the menu in front of him and standing it upright so that only the top of his gravity defying mane could be see.

"What are you, two?!" Tenten incredulously stared in his direction; trying her best not to laugh.

Though thirteen years separated the weapons mistress and the masked shinobi in age, to them, it was hardly any difference at all. Despite being her senior, and in most cases, her superior officer, when it was just the two of them, labels and ranks didn't exist at all. To Kakashi, Tenten was the girl next door. The daughter of the couple that had lived in the next house over, who had all but taken him in at the age of seven, after the death of his father. (1) To Tenten, he was the boy who used to come over and play with her when she was a baby. The one who used to pull on her pigtails to see if she would cry. He was a surrogate older brother and a silent guardian after the death of her parents. A man who was nearly twice her age, but who often acted like a little kid at times.

"You couldn't have used 'dangerous', or 'rabid', or 'enraged'… or some other less childish adjective?" Tenten asked from behind her hand, as she tired desperately to conceal her teasing smile.

From behind his menu, Kakashi smirked at the obvious discomfort he could hear in the kunoichi's voice as she attempted to resist laughing in his face. "Well, that's what the little girl said." He replied. "And then she grabbed the dog's ear and bit it."

"She did wha—oh." Tenten abruptly stopped as she realized what the older shinobi was actually talking about. "Shut up!" She blushingly stared down at her own menu, as the older man peaked over at her from the top of his.

"fufufu." Kakashi snickered on seeing the lightly crimson hue softly coloring the kunoichi's cheeks. "Pakkun still whimpers whenever he hears the word 'bad'."

"I already apologized for that…" She mumbled into her menu.

"And he's still got the teeth marks on his left ear." Kakashi teasingly added.

"Stop rehashing old memories." Tenten griped, as she turned back up to glare at the snickering man. "Otherwise you're going to start sounding like an old man." She teasingly added; knowing that the color of his hair had always made the copy-cat nin slightly sensitive about his age.

"Ah, Tenten." He hung his head down low. "That was mean." Kakashi sulked; burying his head further into his menu.

"I…" Tenten was just about to apologize for using his weakness against him, when she noticed a flash of orange out of the corner of her eyes. "Consider it punishment, for making a lady wait." She instead replied as she carefully moving her left hand over the table, behind his menu. "Aha!" Tenten exclaimed in victory after pulling the aforementioned menu out of her dining partner's hands. "I knew it!" She accusingly glared at the older man upon revealing that her assumption about what the orange thing she'd see was. "Agh. This is why you can't get a woman, you know." The bun-haired kunoichi scolded, as she swiftly pulled the little orange book out of the masked shinobi's hands.

"Hn." Kakashi sunk into his chair like a dejected child. He knew too well it was futile to try and ask for his Icha Icha book back; or worst, to whine about it. Any pleas to have his favorite book returned to him would surely fall on deaf ears, just as they did every time Tenten confiscated one of his books. "I'll have you know, I have plenty of women." He sulkingly protested.

"Fictitious women don't count." Tenten waved the orange book for emphasis.

"Hn." He grunted; sinking further into his chair.

It was amazing to the kunoichi, how a man, more than a decade her senior; a man who was feared and renowned the world over, could still have moments of childish immaturity. "Heeh." She silently giggled upon remembering who her sensei was. "Men." She slowly shook her head in amused disbelief.

"Hey now." Kakashi brightened; seating himself upright again. "Aren't you a little young to be griping about men already?"

"Tch." Tenten scoffed; rolling her eyes at the statement. "Hardly." She added, remembering the many heartaches she'd already suffered on account of the fact that the one guy she really, truly liked, didn't even think of her as a girl.

"Don't tell me…" Kakashi leaned in. "It's Lee isn't it?"

"What?!?" Tenten jumped back a little in her chair at the shock of such a ludicrous idea.

"No?" Kakashi leaned back; pensively rubbing his fingers along the tip of his chin. "It's not Sasuke is it?" He asked curiously; knowing that at one time the kunoichi had professed a certain admiration for the missing Uchiha's physical attributes.

"Eww." She stared back disgustedly. Evident by the face she was making, the kunoichi had clearly gotten over said crush.

"Naruto?" Kakashi guessed again.

"Ah, no." Tenten simply shook her head.

"What's wrong with Naruto?" He amusedly asked.

"Nothing." Tenten quickly replied. "He's just not my type…" She added.

"Oh, so you've got a type?" Kakashi leaned in toward the kunoichi again; placing his elbows on the table as he rested his head between both hands. "Or maybe…" He paused; smirking as he watched the kunoichi fidget in her seat. "It's not a 'type' but a specific person. Specifically a certain white-eyed prodigy we both know…"

"…" The kunoichi remained still; saying nothing. But the bright rising blush on her face told him everything.

"Hn." Kakashi triumphantly leaned back against his chair once more; slouching a little as he curiously eyed the kunoichi. "Maybe I should have a little talk with the Hyuga…"

"NO!" Tenten abruptly stood up; catching the attention of a few restaurant patrons in the process. "Sorry." She apologetically smiled to the room, before sitting herself back down and turning toward the masked shinobi. "Please don't." She pled to the older man. "He…" She paused hesitantly. "He doesn't… I'm not even a girl in his eyes." She somberly added.

"Oh?" Kakashi sat up attentively in his seat; watching as the girl's expression went from embarrassed to sad, and finally to heart broken. Though he could understand how something like that might occur amongst a male and female teammate (having, at one point, been the oblivious male himself), Kakashi wasn't quite as convinced as she was by her assessment. "You sure about that?" The masked jounin smirked; looking past the kunoichi, into the crowded restaurant. "Should we test it?"

"What are you-" Tenten confusedly began.

"Tenten." A deep baritone voice interrupted the kunoichi.

"Haah." She gasped upon hearing the familiar call. Even without turning, she knew exactly who was standing behind her. "Neji?" She turned slowly to face the white-eyed shinobi looking down at her.

"Hello Neji-kun." Kakashi warmly greeted the younger man; his one visible eye squinting as he smiled. "What brings you here this evening?" He cheerfully asked. "I hope you're not planning on stealing away my date from me."

"Date?" Neji curiously repeated; a perfectly chiseled brow rising questioningly as he turned back towards the kunoichi.

"Date?" Tenten agitatedly repeated. "No!" She exclaimed. "Not a date!" She turned back and forth between the two men.

"Come now, Tennie-chan," Kakashi teasingly smirked as he slowly began gliding his chair next to hers. "We shouldn't have to hide our love from the world." He added; placing his arm around her shoulders as he spoke.

"What- love?-what? –no- Neji-" Tenten stumbled over her words, the shock and confusion about what was going on, throwing her complete off balance; so much so, she couldn't even form a complete thought in her head, much less say it.

"Isn't she just the cutest thing when she's shy?" Kakashi expertly cooed as he squeezed the kunoichi closer to him.

From the fiery glare in the Hyuga's eyes, the older shinobi was fairly certain he had been correct in his early assumption. While it was true that his outward appearance gave nothing away as to his feelings within, Kakashi knew all to well how expressive a persons eyes could be, and he had had many more years of experience over the kunoichi when it came to seeing what was hidden beneath the surface. It was clear, though the younger man was trying to hide it, his eyes could not conceal the rage within him at the sight of seeing the kunoichi of his team being embraced by another man. That, as far as the masked man was concerned, could only be for one reason and one reason only…

"We're _not_ on a date!" Tenten, who had finally managed to grasp control of her motor functions, ungracefully pushed the older shinobi off of her and turned back up to face the Hyuga. "We're not." She repeated for emphasis.

"Hn." Neji remained motionless. The fire in his eyes, unnoticed by the kunoichi, cooled considerably, but still retained a smoldering heat which the silver-haired jounin couldn't help but smirk at. "It is not my concern." He monotonously replied. "I am merely here to inform you that we have been called to meet at the Hokage's office in two hours."

"Perfect." Kakashi exclaimed. "Then we don't have to miss out on our date, sweetie." He teased the kunoichi.

"It's not a date!" Tenten yelled at the masked shinobi. "It's not." She repeated more calmly as she turned back toward her sparing partner.

"Hn." The Hyuga grunted; his stoic façade firmly planted on his expressionless face. "I shall go now." He informed them, before turning to leave.

"Oi, Neji!" Kakashi called out before the younger man could leave. "Why don't you join us?" He invited.

"I appreciate the invitation, but I would not want to impose." Neji sternly declined.

"Nonsense." Kakashi playfully smirked as he noticed the rage in the younger mans eyes had still not left. It was clear to him that the Hyuga was putting all of his efforts into controlling his fury. "I think I would like to get to know my Tennie's best friend a little better. And I can tell you about all the cute little faces she makes when-"

"SHUT UP!" Tenten shot to her feet; once more garnering the attention of the restaurant patrons. "Sorry." She apologized to the crowd for the second time that evening, before returning to her seat and calmly trying to face the Hyuga. "Thank you for coming to tell me Neji, I'll see you at the Hokage's office in two hours."

"Hai." Neji nodded, before this time successfully making his retreat from the dark corner in the restaurant.

"Haah." Tenten exhaled deeply, upon seeing the Hyuga disappear into the crowd. "I'm never telling you anything ever again." She threateningly whispered before turning to face the smirking shinobi.

"Fufufu." Kakashi continued chuckling under his mask. "You really are cute when you're feeling completely humiliated." He commented.

"Grrr." Tenten growled at the older man; glaring daggers at him at the moment. Kakashi was aware of how lucky he was she didn't pull out real daggers to shoot at him; he wouldn't put it past her.

"That face is cute too." He continued with his teasing.

"What exactly are you scheming, Hatake?" The kunoichi pointedly glared. She'd known him far too long, and far too well, to realize he wasn't teasing her just to tease her; though she _was_ aware teasing her was one of his favorite hobbies. But generally he never teased her in front of others unless he was planning something. What that could be, however, she couldn't even begin to imagine…

"So what do you want to order?" Kakashi nonchalantly asked, as he opened up his menu for the second time that evening.

"The usual." Tenten sighingly replied; giving in, to his change in topic, since she knew he'd never really tell her what he was planning.

"Yeah, me too." He nodded, before lifting his right hand up to call the waiter over.

"Hey Kakashi?" Tenten called out from behind her menu.

"Hn?" He looked over at her from the top of his menu, as she placed hers down in front of them.

"What 'faces', exactly, were you planning to tell Neji about?" She curiously asked; half suspecting she knew which ones already.

"Oh that." Kakashi smirked behind the menu. "I was talking about the faces you used to make when you were still in diapers and you were about to take a du-"

"I KNEW IT!" Tenten jumped to her feet for the third time that evening, before leaning over the table and proceeding to pummel the silver haired jounin with her tiny fists. "You jerk!"

And that was why they always reserved the hidden corner in the back of the restaurant…

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
****TBC  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

(1) I don't actually know how old Kakashi was when his dad died… I know it was somewhere between ages 6 and 11… I decided on 7 because then that meant that Tenten's parent's were taking care of him for 6 years before Tenten was born.

**Can anyone guess what Kakashi was about to say there? (what faces?)**

**A/N: **My level of writing, i feel, has been plateauing lately, or worst declining (oddly enough my number of reviews has been doing the same thing these last few chapters... makes me wonder...) but I'm actually pretty proud of this one. It's probably one of my better written pieces. **XD**


	75. Not a Date pt2

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: part 2 of 2. I've been mulling over this chapter for days. I seriously plotted out at least four different versions of this story but none of them were working for me, until (thanks to the help of fmoragana) I came up with this one. I really like it, so I hope you all like it too.

_**THANKS AGAIN FOR THE REVIEWS, THEY'RE ALWAYS APPRECIATED!!! AND THEY ARE THE REASON I KEEP WRITING!**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**NOT A DATE pt.2  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Twilight.

The moment immediately between sunset and dusk; when the multicolored sky is still illuminated by the fading light of the departing sun, and the darkness of the evening is but a twinkle away. A moment captured in romance novels and poetic verses as the epitome of a fleeting, yet perfect, moment for love…

And yet there she was, the girl, standing next to him, the boy… the boy she loved; the boy who, sadly, didn't even see her as a girl. The boy whose very presence both shook her to her core and shattered her heart to pieces, all at the same time.

"Haah." Tenten dejectedly sighed as she stared out into the fading horizon.

It was the third and final day of their patrol. And she had been so excited at the prospects of being assigned a three day mission to man the look-out post at the farthest corner of the village boundaries…

It wasn't because it was an easy job, or because it was important; it as because of who she would be partnered up with; who she would spend the next three days trapped in a confined wooden box, suspended hundreds of meters in the air. Both of them; together. Completely alone…

Though she wasn't foolish enough to delude herself into believing something would actually come of them being assigned to stand in the wooden tower for three full days, Tenten had still seen it as a great opportunity to bond and, at the very least, get to know each other a bit better. Unfortunately, things hadn't worked out quite as she had expected…

For two whole days, he had ignored her; shunned her even.

While she was used to him being a quite person who rarely ever spoke unless spoken to (and even then in one word replies or grunted responses), she also knew it was rare for him to ignore people completely. He was, after all, from a prestigious clan, and had been raised with proper manners. And yet, for the entire time they had been locked up in the small watchtower, he hadn't uttered a single word to her, much less responded to any of her attempts to try to strike up a conversation.

It broke her heart.

Never in her life had Tenten felt more isolated and alone than she had in those painfully long two days. Every passing moment had been a dagger through her heart, as she laboriously attempted to keep herself from crying.

"ffff." She sniffed back the tears that were still threatening to spill out.

She didn't get it. Why was he treating her that way? Had she done something wrong?

"Tenten." The rich baritone voice she had been missing suddenly startled her.

Discreetly whipping away a single stray tear from her cheek, Tenten turned to Neji and tried her best to force a smile. "Yes?" The kunoichi waited expectably for him to continue.

"…" From across the tower the Hyuga motionlessly stared at her; his well honed expressionless mask betraying nothing of what he was thinking. "Hn." He turned away again. "Never mind."

Her heart sank. She had expected more; wanted more… "Okay." Tenten softly whispered back; trying her best not to reveal her disappointment.

"How long…" His voice called out again, but then abruptly stopped.

She said nothing; instead waited for him to continue. But he didn't.

"You know…" The kunoichi began, after a moment; taking his previous initiative to mean he wasn't entirely opposed to speaking with her.

Knowing this she wasn't about to let the opportunity to break the barrier that had somehow formed between them, slip through her fingers; otherwise she was certain her last day would be the same as the first two, or worst, that he might never speak to her again; and neither option was a pleasant thought.

"I bet Lee and Gai-sensei would go insane with this kind of mission." She tried to laugh; finding it difficult to, but trying nonetheless. "They would hate having to stay in one place for three days." She continued; glancing over at Neji to see if he would say anything. But he didn't. "Shikamaru would probably enjoy it though. This is the perfect mission for him. It's easy and not too much happens. He could sit in one place and do very little. It would be his ideal mission." She nervously rambled on. "Although…" Tenten paused, thinking about her last statement a little better. "He does tend to like naps and staring into the clouds a lot. It's kind of difficult to be alert for this kind of job, when you're napping." She concluded.

"Hn." Neji grunted.

Her heart soared at the sound of his familiar grunt. Though he was still non-responsive, Tenten was glad that at least he was acknowledging that he was listening to her pointless babbling.

"Yeah." She continued on. "You can't really nap at a job like this. Unless…" She smiled at a memory of when she was six and tried to sneak up on a certain sleeping shinobi, in an attempt to pull off his mask. He had immediately awoken the moment she walked into the room he was resting in, and though he pretended to be asleep after that, Tenten later discovered that he had been completely alert throughout her entire futile attempt at peeking under his mask. "Unless you're Kakashi, that is."

"Grrr." A strange sound from across the tower caught the kunoichi's attention.

"Did you hear something?" Tenten asked. It had only been a fleeting murmur. So soft and quick, she wasn't even if she'd actually heard right. "Anyway," The kunoichi shrugged; putting the sound out of her mind. "I don't know how he does it, but he's always completely aware of his surroundings, even when you think he's distracted." She smiled again at the idea that Kakashi would probably enjoy this kind of mission; maybe even take it as the perfect opportunity to read those nasty books of his. "Ehehe." The kunoichi involuntarily giggled; and for the first time in three days, her heart felt lighter; though unbeknownst to her, across the tower, a burning inferno was beginning to blaze within the Hyuga. "Though I doubt he'd ever get assigned to something like this." Tenten continued on with her musings. "Tsunade-same likes to work him to the bone. As it is he's so very rarely in the village anyway; always being assigned far off, dangerous missions; one right after another. It would be nice if she gave him a little rest every once in a while, but… what are you gonna do?" She shrugged; finished with all she had to say, though it had mostly just been absent-minded rambling than anything of actual substance. She had wanted it to seem as if they were talking like two good friends again, but had somehow allowed herself to get lost in her train of thought without really realizing what she was saying, or the fact that Neji, again, didn't seem to be listening to her. "Haah." She, again, sighed somberly, before turning back to dolefully staring at the darkening sky.

"Does it bother you?" Neji's deep, serious voice surprised her again.

"Huh?" She turned to face him. "Does what bother me?" Tenten asked; hopefully that his question meant he did actually want to talk to her.

"…" But her hopes began dwindling again as he continued to remain silent. This time, however, he didn't turn away from her like he previous had. But rather, remained with his gaze firmly fixed on her for the next few minutes; until he spoke again. "Does it bother you that he is away a lot?" Neji finally asked after a few minutes of still silence.

"Um… not really." Tenten shrugged. She wasn't quite sure what was going on, but she was grateful that at least he was speaking to her again. "It's a shinobi's job to go off on missions." She added; hoping to keep the conversation flowing. "It's what we do." She smiled uneasily.

"And it doesn't bother you to see him so infrequently?" He further asked.

"No." Tenten shook her head. "Why would it?" She wondered aloud.

She noted that Neji's grave voice had sounded deeper and throatier than usual as he spoke; something that only occurred when he was angry.

"Hn." Neji grunted; indicating he would not be giving any more replies.

"Well…" Tenten began as she timidly stared at her shoes; still not ready to let the conversation die out so quickly. "I guess it can be a little frustrating at times, to not be able to see your friend very often; especially when you know he's out there putting his life in danger, but it's not as if I'm at home waiting for him to return like the helpless house wi-" Suddenly the wheels began turning in the kunoichi's head and his questions were beginning to make sense to her. "Wait." Tenten turned back up to face the Hyuga. "Don't tell me you actually believed that crap he said the other day." She stared incredulously at the white-eyed prodigy.

"…" He didn't respond to her inquiry. But he didn't deny it either.

"We are so not a couple!" Tenten adamantly explained; not sure why she had to explain it to the man, but feeling like she should nonetheless.

"Hn." Neji grunted in disbelief.

"We're no where near a couple! We don't even do couple-y things." She insisted; knowing all to well how to decipher his grunts.

"You date." He countered.

"That was not a date!" Tenten obstinately maintained.

"Hn." He grunted again.

"It wasn't!" She swore. "It was just two people, out for dinner, enjoying each other's company."

"That is the definition of a date." Neji somberly pointed out.

"…" Tenten had to admit, hearing it aloud, even she agreed that that did sound a lot like a date. "Yeah but…"

"And it wasn't the first time." Neji confidently observed.

"No…" She hesitantly acknowledged. "We… we actually go out to eat once a month… and sometimes he comes over for dinner after a mission," She replied. "But…but it's not like that. We're not… not a couple." She repeated.

It was true, she and Kakashi did a lot of things that might seem unusually close for two people who were supposed to be just friends. But that was just it, they weren't 'just friends', they were family… They spent time together like family; they cared for one another like family. They checked on each other after missions and spent time together catching up and making sure that the other was healthy and taken care of. It was the way it had been since they were younger; since as far back as Tenten could remember. It was what they did; it was what family did. It was normal.

"Hn." Neji turned away. Clearly he didn't believe her. He really did think they were a couple. "Perhaps you should reconsider." His somber voice came after a while.

"Reconsider?" She whispered questioningly; unsure of what he meant by that.

"You don't suit him." He stoically added.

"What?" Tenten disbelievingly whispered back.

She couldn't believe what she had just heard. What did he mean by that? Just because Kakashi was an important, well-respected shinobi in the village, Neji thought she wasn't suited for him? She wasn't good enough? Did he really think that little of her?

"How… how can you say that?" She agonizingly questioned; her heart feeling as if it were bring ripped from her chest. "Am I really… I thought we were…" She painfully swallowed as she tired to form a complete sentence; a complete thought. "If nothing else," She quiveringly began; trying her best not to cry in front of him. "If anything else… I thought we were friends." She whispered in a barely audible voice; not trusting her voice with anything louder. "I may not be the prettiest…" She inhaled deeply; suppressing her agony and her rage at that moment. "I may not be that important. But that doesn't mean I can just be disregarded like a nobody." Her voice began breaking, but at that point her emotions were too intense for her to stop. "Is it that difficult to believe someone would actually find me attractive? That someone important would actually like me? I may not have much to offer, but is it so impossible to think that someone might actually see something in me. I'm not good enough? Just because you don't think of me as a girl doesn't mean someone else can't. That someone might actually like me for who I am; for how I am. Or am I that completely hopeless in your eyes?" Tears beginning to blur her vision; but she didn't care anymore. Her heart had been crushed, and she could no longer stop it from screaming out into tears. "What gives you the right to decide who can or cannot love me? What gives you the right to decide who _I_ can care for? What gives you the right… and what does it even matter to you anywa--"

Suddenly she was stopped.

Without her even realizing it, her tearful rant had been complete cut off by a pair of warm lips enveloping her own. Her mind didn't register it for a moment that Neji was actually kissing her. His lips were so soft against hers, and yet his kiss was fierce and passionate. It was as if the rage in his voice, that she had heard earlier, was pushing its way through his mouth to his lips and pressing hungrily against hers. Intense and smoldering; like lava erupting from a volcano, threatening to burn her if she let the heat escape. And it was so hot. Tenten felt as though she was melting into her body as he kissed her deeper; tickling his fingers along the back of her neck, as he pulled her greedily into his ravenous kiss. And she kissed him back. Kissed him back with the same vigor and heat that he kissed her with. Abandoning herself into the kiss; into the sensation of being burned alive, and suffocated by the warmth of his lips. She moaned as he glided the fingers of his other hand under the back of her shirt and along the small of her back; fireworks erupting in her body as his hands continued caressing her. The soft touch of his lips lighting up the piece of her heart that had been dimmed when she had first started believing that he hated her.

She was on fire!

But she was so confused.

Hadn't he been ignoring her because he was mad? Hadn't he just told her that she wasn't good enough for someone as important as Kakashi? Essentially telling her she couldn't possibly be good enough for someone like him? And yet, there he was, kissing her fervently, and with complete abandon, as if … as if …

The warm fog in her head couldn't let her think. What did it mean?

"You… you misunderstood." Neji gently whispered after it became necessary that they pull apart from their passionate kiss. "_He_, is not good enough for you."

"Haah." She gasped at his words.

So that was why…

**.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.**

"Honey! I'm home!" The familiar teasing voice of one, Hatake Kakashi, came ringing through the small apartment as the door in the front hall opened and closed.

Confident and comfortable in the familiar surroundings, Kakashi walked from the front door directly into the kitchen where Tenten was busy finishing up their usual post-mission dinner. It had been like this for the past 18 years; after every one of his missions, he would come to her house and eat dinner with her. And once she became a kunoichi and began taking her own missions, he would also come over for dinner to keep up with the tradition (though she suspected it was also to make sure she had not been injured in her last mission).

"What's for dinner?" Kakashi cheerfully asked, as he poked his head over the stove, while the kunoichi began serving the white rice into little bowls.

"Hey!" She slapped the man's hand away before he could open the closest pot. "You go wait in the living room too!" She ordered.

"Too?" Kakashi cocked his head to the side questioningly.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Now go!" She shooed him away.

"So mean!" Kakashi mock-pouted, as he allowed himself to be pushed. "You were so much cuter when you used to smile at everything I did, and called me 'Nii-san'" He said the last word in a child-like squeak. "'Nii-san'" He repeated, as he got shoved out of the kitchen. "So much cuter!"

"What that --" Kakashi stopped in his tracks upon exciting the narrow hall, into the open space that encompassed both the dinning room and living room.

Standing at the far end of the room, where the carpet marked the area that became the living room, Kakashi was surprised to see none other than Hyuga Neji, the white-eyed prodigy, calmly staring at him from across the room. Kakashi was about to ask what the guy was doing there, when he realized the raging fury he had previously witnessed in the younger man's eyes was no longer present. Though a hint of distrust still lingered in the gleam of his gaze, Kakashi could tell Neji no longer saw him as a threat.

"Did something happen in that tower?" Kakashi whisperingly asked the kunoichi as she walked passed him carrying the first of many dishes.

"I told you already," She whispered back. "I'm never telling you anything ever again."(**1**)

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
****THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

(1) In case anyone misses it, this was in the first chapter…My sleep deprived mind thought it's be artistic to end this like that ;P hehehe… we'll see what it thinks when it's not 3am… **XD **

**DONE!!!! *happy dance* I'm kind of proud of this people… the kiss KILLED me, but it turned out okay I think **(REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK)**. And forgive the lightness of the Kakashi-ness in the fic… maybe someday in the future I'll do a story where Kakashi pulls Neji (playing the big brother), but for now, this is where this mini-arc ends. Hope you all enjoyed it! Thanks again to **fmorgana** for all the help ;)**


	76. One Of The Guys

**Disclaimer:** Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!

**A/N**: This is a story I've kind of been working on in my head for some time… it's a question I've asked myself a few times, and I just thought it'd be a fun question for Tenten to ask ;P.

Special thanks to **fmorgana** for helping me finish developing this plot bunny ;)

WARNING: The words 'vagina' and 'sex' make an appearance… but this is still not an M rating… not even close… It's kind of more on the crackish side ;P And it is a bit light on the Nejiten, but eh, we need some of that once in a while…

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**ONE OF THE GUYS  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Agh." Tenten groaned as she grabbed for her stomach. Her insides were telling her it was time to take a break.

She had just spent the entire morning studying in the village library, reading about a new weapon she'd picked up on her last mission. It was her team's first day off in months, and she had taken the opportunity to try and learn as much as she could about the weapon in question, in order to better understand its use so she could incorporate it to her many weapon techniques.

It was rare when the kunoichi got a day just to herself; even when her team was off, she and Neji usually got together for a sparring match. This time, however, the Hyuga had been unable to make it because of a 'prior engagement'; one which he hadn't seemed particularly thrilled about, but being the guy he was, Neji was hardly one to back out of a commitment. As such, he had reluctantly joined the rest of the guys for their monthly lunch. Tenten had also been invited by the girls to go on a shopping trip that day. But the idea of spending an entire day meandering aimlessly through the village's shopping district, while trying on an endless amount of clothes she would never wear, and shoes that would surely kill her feet… well, it just didn't appeal to the kunoichi. It wasn't that she didn't have a girlie side (although most would argue she did in fact not possess such a quality), but to Tenten, clothes and shoes just weren't at the top of her priority list. It irked her though, that because she wasn't the 'shopping' or 'mindlessly giggling' type of girl, she was often branded as a 'tomboy' or as 'one of the guys' by many in the village; and often treated as such.

_Could they seriously not tell she was a girl?!?!_

"Agh." Tenten groaned again as her stomach let out another loud protest. It was time to take a break and eat; she'd finish her books and continue venting on the unfairness of being treated like a boy, after she got some food in her.

Hurriedly putting the books back in their proper place, Tenten headed out to the busy Konoha streets to find a suitable place to eat. "Haah." The kunoichi sighed. "Something quick and convenient." She decided; although what she really wanted was something delicious and filling, and unfortunately 'quick and convenient' usually didn't equal 'delicious and filling'. "Oh well, whatever's fine." She moaned, as she entered the village's restaurant district.

Suddenly, as she was rounding a corner toward the street where the fast-food eateries were located, a loud shout from behind her stopped the kunoichi in her tracks. "TENTEN-CHAN!" The familiar voice yelled.

"Eh?" Tenten turned to the voice only to discover six of the guys standing a few yards behind her.

Excitedly smiling, as always, Naruto, along with Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino and Chouji, rushed over toward the kunoichi's side. "Hey Tenten-chan!" Naruto warmly greeted as the guys all walking up behind him.

"Hi Naruto." Tenten returned the blond boy's warm smile. "Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Chouji." She nodded to the others. "Where's Lee?" She wondered about the noticeable absence of the overly enthusiastic bowl-haired boy.

"Gai-sensei." Neji monotonously replied. No further explanation was necessary; she understood. The elder 'green beast' had probably decided on a last minute super-intensive training session; and Lee, being Lee, had undoubtedly been so caught up in the excitement that he had probably completely forgotten about the guy's lunch.

"Haah." Tenten sighed. She was certain the younger 'green beast' would enjoy his training, but knowing him, Lee would be extremely guilt-ridden by the end of the day when he remembered his commitment to meet up with the guys. "Poor Lee." She shook her head sympathetically.

"Hn." Neji grunted; though Tenten was unsure whether it was to agree with her, or because he thought Lee would be getting what he deserved. Her instincts told her he probably meant both.

"So what are you doing here anyway Tenten-chan?" Naruto loudly wondered.

"Yeah, shouldn't you be out with the girls on their shopping marathon?" Chouji added from besides the hyperactive blond.

"Agh, no…" Tenten groaned and shook her head; grabbing it in the process. Her head hurt at merely thinking about the ordeal.

"Haha." Kiba chuckled at her obvious show of disgust. "Ah Tenten, you're such a tomboy." He teasingly smirked.

"You want to say that again, Inuzuka?" Tenten threateningly glared at the younger man; pulling her favorite kunai out of her leg holster and pointing it at the fang-faced shinobi. She knew he wasn't trying to be mean, and he probably didn't know his comments were one of her biggest pet peeves, but nonetheless she couldn't help feeling incredibly irritated at the smirking Inuzuka. She blamed her hunger.

"Tch." Shikamaru scoffed from her other side. "That's definitely a girl reaction." The lazy genius mumbled. "So troublesome."

"Whatever." Tenten twirled her kunai back into its holster; figuring it would be too much energy to waste on the grinning dog-boy. "Actually," She turned back to Naruto; whose question she still hadn't replied to. "I was just doing some reading at the library when-" _GROWL_. Her stomach suddenly interrupted.

"Woah!" Naruto stared wide-eyed at the kunoichi, as Tenten embarrassingly turned away to hide the color rising on her face.

"You skipped breakfast." Neji accusingly commented from behind the blushing kunoichi; concern hidden behind his lavender eyes.

"Ah…" Tenten bashfully scratched the top of her head. "Yeah..." She nodded; turning back to face the guys. "But," She pointed towards the direction she'd been heading earlier. "I'm on my way now to get some-"

"Why don't you join us?" Naruto eagerly invited before she could finish telling them she was already on her way to go eat.

"Eh?" Tenten cocked her head to the side curiously. She was flattered by the offer, but…"I wouldn't want to impose on your guys' 'guy-time'." She meekly smiled back. "But thanks any-"

"What are you talking about?" Kiba interrupted. "You're practically one of the g-ack." His head fell forward before he could finish what he was saying.

"I advice you remain silent." Shino quietly warned; after jabbing his teammate on the back of head. "Unless you desire to be injured."

"Oi!" Kiba shouted; rubbing the back of his neck as he angrily turned to face his friend. "What do you call hitting me on the back of the head?" He growled.

"Saving your life I'd say." Shikamaru mumbled from besides the silent Aburame.

"No normal girl would like that." Chouji nodded from besides his best friend.

"Yeah." Kiba shrugged. "But Tenten ain't no normal girl, she's-ack" Again he was cut off, but this time by a sharp, pointy object nestled against his throat. "I was gonna say '_cooler_' I swear!" He chocked out against Tenten's kunai.

"Hn." She pulled the weapon away. "Yeah right." She scoffed, disbelievingly. "Anyway," She turned back to the other guys. "I appreciate the offer, but I really don't want to get in the way."

"Ah, don't worry about it!" Naruto reassuringly grinned. "I'm sure no one else minds, right guys?" He turned to the others looking for support; to which they all nodded in agreement.

"Well…" Tenten hesitated. "Okay." She agreed upon seeing the almost pleading look in the Hyuga's eyes; even though they were his friends, it seemed he really didn't want to be left alone with those guys.

Quickly, the seven of them walked into a crowded restaurant. It was apparently Naruto's turn to chose where to eat; and though the Ichiraku Ramen stand was out of the question (since it couldn't possibly seat seven people), Naruto had still chosen an eatery that specialized in noodle dishes. It also happened to be a rather popular restaurant with the shinobi masses; civilians rarely ever patroned the restaurant; not that any one would blame them, shinobi crowds could get rather unruly at times…

"And then," Naruto enthusiastically exclaimed as he stood over the table the seven of them were seated at; already fifteen minutes into his retelling of his latest greatest adventure.

As Tenten watched Naruto finish off what would be his fourth story since they arrived at the restaurant (pausing only while he was eating to let the others say a word or two about what _they_ had done all month since their last lunch out), she realized he was actually a pretty good story teller. Though he stories tended to be full of exaggerations and the occasional perverse adventure, the way he detailed the action and paused at just the right moments, really made for an entertaining listen. Though she had never read any of the perverted books that his former sensei used to write, Tenten wondered if perhaps Naruto had picked up his storytelling ability from the late-sannin himself.

"Just as we thought it was over and we'd been caught…" Naruto dramatically paused. "I used my special jutsu and transformed into a harem of beautiful girls!" He exclaimed. "All the guards immediately froze up and blood began pouring everywhere!" He snickered at his supposed genius.

"Naaruuutooo!" Kiba growled, as the rest of the guys groaned behind him at the ridiculous ending to what had otherwise been a rather exciting story.

"I'm serious!" Naruto insisted.

"Yeah, yeah." Kiba shook his head incredulously while the others just rolled their eyes and turned their attentions back to their mostly empty plates.

"Hey Naruto," Tenten calmly called out from the opposite side of the table; effectively ending the inevitable argument the blond would undoubtedly break into with the teasing Inuzuka.

"Yeah?" Naruto turned his attention away from the spiky-haired brunette to face the kunoichi.

"I've always been meaning to ask." She began. "... About that jutsu..." She hesitated.

"My harem jutsu?" Naruto proudly grinned, as the others' attention turned toward their conversation; all of them seemingly interested in what Tenten might have to say about what most girls considered a perverse and distasteful jutsu.

"Yeah." Tenten nodded.

"What about it?" Naruto eagerly asked.

"Well…" She paused as she thought about how best to word what she wanted to say; all the while unaware of the expectant gazes from the others seated around the table.

"Yeah?" Naruto impatiently waited.

"If you had sex as a girl, could you get pregnant?" Tenten unabashingly blurted her question; not realizing the sudden spike in temperature in her companions' faces.

"Wah-wha- what?!?!" Naruto stumbled back into his chair; completely thrown off by the startling question.

"I mean," Tenten continued; unaware of the uncomfortable atmosphere quickly spreading around the table. "When you transform, are you anatomically correct? Or is it just an outward appearance?" She quickly questioned.

"Ahhh…" Naruto stared at the kunoichi; his mouth hanging open widely at the completely unexpected turn in the conversation.

"Also," Tenten continued on; still without noticing the effect her questions were having on the rest of her group. "If you could get pregnant, would you turn back into a guy with a womb, or some make-shift male womb? Or would you have to stay a girl until you delivered the baby? If you did turn back into a guy, wouldn't it seriously hurt to have to deliver? And where would you deliver it through anyway?" She stopped to catch her breath for a moment before continuing on with her random questioning. "A woman's vagina stretches to accommodate the baby's head, but a guy? eee..." She shuttered. "I can't imagine... plus, since a pregnant woman's chakra is all out of whack during her pregnancy and especially during the delivery, it's not like you could change back into a girl just for the delivery..."

"Umm…" Naruto stared dumbfounded at the kunoichi as the rest of the guys remained silent; cringing at the images the kunoichi's words were creating in their minds.

"Tenten." The uneasy voice of the boy sitting next to her, momentarily turned the kunoichi's attention away from the befuddled blond.

"Neji?" She questioned the agitated look on the shinobi's face; noting a slight color on his cheeks.

"Perhaps this conversation…" Neji quietly began; the color on his face slightly increasing as he spoke.

"What?" Tenten expectantly waited from him to continue, but for some reason Hyuga seemed unable to finish his statement. "Oh, right." She nodded upon noticing that there were now people from some of the surrounding tables staring at them. "Guess we should finish this somewhere else…" She added before turning back to Naruto. "If you're not too busy," She began; waving her hand up to the waiter to ask for the check. "Maybe you could show me how to perform that jutsu of yours." She asked.

"What?" Naruto's eyes grew to cover half his face.

"You actually want to learn how to do that perverse jutsu?!" Kiba disbelievingly asked from besides the spiky haired blond.

"Yeah…" Tenten nodded; unsure as to why the younger shinobi were making such a fuss about a simple request.

"Why?" Chouji curiously questioned from across the table; for some reason unable to finish off his third and final bowl of sumo ramen.

"Well," Tenten furrowed her brow; wondering what the big deal was. "I want to see for myself if it's actually anatomically correct."

"You're going to check?" Shikamaru incredulously asked, as the waiter arrived to collect on their bill.

"Of course!" Tenten excitedly nodded, as she grabbed for Naruto's arm and began pulling the agitated blond out of the restaurant and straight for the nearest training grounds, while the five other guys hesitantly (but curiously) followed closely behind.

When they arrived at the closest training grounds; which just so happened to be the area where Team Kakashi used to train in their younger days, Tenten turned toward the nervous looking blond and smile. "Okay. Show me." She excitedly requested.

"Now?!?" Naruto nervously jumped back a few feet.

"Yeah!" Tenten nodded. "Come on, you've done it a hundred times already," She began egging him on, upon noticing his hesitation. "Think of it as Science."

"Mad science." One of the guys mumbled from behind them; but Tenten couldn't quite make out who.

"Well…okay" Naruto reluctantly agreed. "But it's really nothing special." He added, before quickly performing the hand seal to execute his sexy-no-jutsu.

_POOF_.

Soft fluffy clouds surrounded the now female Naruto, as his jutsu took form before the six others present at the training field. His newfound embarrassment, however, prevented the Kyubi-vessel from adding the usual flirty wink and kiss to complete the presentation of his jutsu.

"Wow." Tenten approvingly nodded as she quickly the 'girl'; critically looking her up and down. It was the first time Tenten had ever seen this jutsu up close, and already she had learned enough just through seeing it preformed once. "So it's just a simple transformation jutsu?" She asked the blond.

"Yeah." Naruto timidly nodded; using his hands to hide what little modesty he had left.

"Hn." She furrowed her brow questioningly. "Well…" She scratched her chin pensively. "I guess it's not really a real transformation after all." She stated. "You look like a girl, but you're not actually a real girl."

"Tch, look who's talking." A mumbled voice, which this time Tenten recognized as belonging to the Inuzuka, commented; she chose to ignore that one though.

"I-- I guess not." Naruto nervously shrugged as he continued covering himself, despite the fact that the puff of smoke surrounding him still kept him relatively covered.

"You can turn back." Tenten sighed; finally noticing the younger shinobi's discomfort.

"Okay." He smiled gratefully, before turning back to his normal self.

"Haah." Tenten sighed dejectedly. "It's a shame though."

"What is?" Shikamaru, who (along with the other boys) had been watching the whole ordeal at a distance (snickering at their blond friend's misfortune), lazily asked the kunoichi.

"Oh nothing much." Tenten shrugged. "I was just hoping it was a full-transformation that could work to make a guy into a girl and a girl into a guy." She sighed disappointedly.

"Why?!?" Kiba questioned; disturbed by whatever ideas the girl might have had. "What... did you actually want to become one of the guys for real?" He teasingly joked as an attempt to lighten the mood.

"…" For a moment, the kunoichi was tempted to pull her kunai out again and show him she wasn't kidding about disliking being referred to as a guy; but she resisted. That really hadn't been the reason she had wanted to know if Naruto's jutsu actually worked the way she had wanted it to work… "I was just thinking it'd be really cool if a guy could get pregnant." She dreamily stared off into the distance; completely unaware of the worried expressions the six guys exchanged amongst themselves upon hearing her reason. "That way if I ever got married, my husband could carry our child and I could still go on missions." She added as an afterthought; failing completely to notice the sympathetic looks aimed at the white-eyed shinobi, who, at the moment, had been drained of all color to his face and was all but choking on his own tongue as he tired to suppress his groans at the mere idea of being in that sort of situation.

"It would be difficult to find a male who would agree to such terms." The usually silent Shino, off-handedly commented.

"More like impossible." Shikamaru grumbled. "Tch, troublesome."

"Plus, no straight guy would ever have sex with another guy, even if it was a jutsu!" Kiba added.

"Hm." Tenten furrowed her brow as she thought about their comments. "Yeah, I guess you guys are right." She shrugged, before turning back towards the traumatized blond standing behind her. "Hey Naruto." She smiled warmly; hoping to bring him back out of his stupor.

"Huh?" Naruto, mouth still agape, turned to face the kunoichi.

"How about you show me how to do that jutsu anyway.' She cheerfully asked. "Just a transformation jutsu right?" She asked to confirm her earlier assessment. "Okay." The kunoichi readied herself; pumping herself up before she began the constant emission of chakra required and mentally picturing the image of a nude girl, before starting on the necessary hand seals. "Dog. Boar. Tiger." She called out while performing the seals.

"Wait!?" Naruto shook himself out of his trance. "What? No!"

But it was too late…

Before the dazed Naruto could tell the kunoichi that the necessary hand seal was simply the 'Ram', she had already transformed into a completely nude version of herself, with no smoke, no clouds, no anything to hide her naked flesh. And just like the story he had been reciting to the group earlier, the scene before them suddenly became streaked in red, as all six shinobi began shooting fountains of blood all over the surrounding training field.

"Aaaah…" Tenten covered herself as best she could, as the six shinobi went crashing down to the dirt floor from the sudden loss of blood. "Oops." She innocently whispered.

Releasing herself from the jutsu, Tenten quickly looked around at the passed out shinobi. Something told the kunoichi she probably didn't ever have to worry about those guys thinking of her as 'one of the guys' anymore…

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
****THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

**A/N: It's done!... I really need to stop writing at 3am... Anyway hope you all liked it, even if there wasn't as much NejiTen-ness as I'm sure we all would have liked… but there will be other stories. Incidentally, I just want to mention that this will be my last update for a while… I'm starting school soon and I really want to finish ****UNDER THE DRAGON MOON**** before that happens (though that seems very unlikely), in any case, I probably won't be updating until I finish with that story, so if you miss my story so much, go support that one ;) … although I will admit because it's a multi-chapter the action takes a while to get started, but I'll say it now, the good stuff is just about to happen… and boy will it be good XD**

**THANKS AGAIN FOR READING… **_**PLEASE REMEMBER TO REVIEW**_**!!!!**


	77. Magic of the Spring

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I started on this fic (the first 2k words) over a YEAR ago... but I could never seem to finish it... until now... so YAY! Y! ** oh, btw, there will be TWO VERSIONS of this story... this one is the CLEAN one... for people who are sensitive to Lemons... the other one, of course, is a LEMON and can be found as a separate story on my profile.**

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – To **fmorgana** who won my dA 50 sentences contest with her entry "_The first time she moaned his name in pleasure, a delightful shiver ran down his spine; increasing his desire for the beautiful weapons mistress._" As you can tell from the prompt... it's going to be a little more mature than my usual ones.

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**MAGIC OF THE SPRING****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"There appears to be a small town below." Neji stated; staring down at the foot of hill the two teammates had been traveling on for the last fifteen hours.

They had just finished a mission in Earth Country. It had taken longer than they had originally anticipated, and had been far more dangerous than the initial reports had stated it would be. The mission had been to retrieve an item from a building located in the center of enemy grounds. What the item was, they had not been given any specifics on; all they knew was that it was of vital importance and would likely be heavily guarded. The number of guards protecting the item, however, had been much higher than anything the reports had anticipated, and a confrontation had been inevitable. The two teammates had barely managed to escape with the aid of a diversionary explosion that Tenten had set off. Unfortunately, as a result of the unforeseen circumstances, the kunoichi had ended up injured. During the subsequent fall, as they jumped off the exploding building, she had landed awkwardly, and ended up pulling or spraining something in her leg.

It wasn't as bad as one would believe a fifty foot fall might be; nevertheless, it was too painful for Tenten to walk on, thus Neji had had to carry her the rest of the way to the village; which just so happened to be five days away from their current location. At the pace they were moving, with Tenten injured and Neji carrying the weight of the kunoichi AND their bags, it would most likely take twice as long to reach Konoha. It was for that reason that they had decided it would be easier to take a temporary detour and find a place to rest before continuing back to the village.

"Eh?" Tenten poked her head out from behind the Hyuga to see where he had indicated.

"We should rest there." Neji asserted; carefully lowering the kunoichi off of his back to retrieve something from their bags.

Tenten watched as the Hyuga searched through the brown sack he normally carried with him on missions. It was clear that he was tried, but she was certain Neji would never admit to such a thing.

"I'm sorry." Tenten quietly whispered, as she sat on the grassy floor; her eyes caste down to avoid his gaze.

It had been her fault, after all, that she had mistakenly added too small a fuse to the explosion, resulting in less time for them to escape the blast. Had Neji not managed to pull her out in time, she was certain she probably would have perished in the blazing inferno that resulted. The strange thing was, she was certain she _had_ allowed for a significant amount of time to escape, but clearly it had not been enough.

"Hn?" Neji looked over at the kunoichi curiously. "It was not as if you intended to injure yourself." He coolly replied. "It could not be helped. The circumstances were not what we had been led to believe."

"Yeah…" Tenten solemnly replied; though inside she still blamed herself for what had happened. "haa." She heavily sighed. "What are you doing?" The kunoichi asked; after noting that Neji was still looking through their small amount of remaining provisions.

"We are still in enemy territory Tenten." Neji reminded her.

"Yeah, I know." She nodded; still unsure of what he was doing.

"We cannot simply walk into a foreign village as we currently are." He added, without need for further explanation.

"Oh right." Looking down, the kunoichi noted that they did look very much like a pair of ninja. Of course, that was what they were, so it only made sense that they would have such an appearance. But he was right; though they knew nothing of the village below, it was still enemy soil, and it would be unwise to just walk in without a disguise.

"Here." Neji kindly handed her the light blue kimono that she had packed for the mission, while he took out his matching darker blue one.

"Thanks." Tenten waited until he turned away, before she began removing her kunoichi gear to put on the fancy disguise. "Ow." She cringed, as sharp pains began shooting through her injured leg.

"Tenten." His tone denoted deep concern, but Neji didn't move; ever the prefect gentleman.

"..." Tenen nervously bit her lower lip, wondering what she should do. Kimonos were difficult enough to put on without having one's movements restricted by pain. "Neji?" Her pleading voice called out to the Hyuga. She wondered if it was okay to ask him for his help. Though she had managed to keep most of herself covered, she had also sustained some other minor injuries on her body that prevented her from moving enough to fully dress herself on her own. It would be a shame to make it as far as they had, only to be discovered because Tenten couldn't properly dress herself.

"Hn?" From what she could hear, Neji had already finished putting on his disguise.

"Could you…?" She hesitantly began.

They had been friends for a long time now; unconditionally entrusting both their lives to one another; still, there was a timid innocence to their relationship. Tenten had long ago accepted her feelings for the white-eyed genius; but fearing that her happiness at his side would be taken from her if she dared to tell him, the kunoichi had decided it was better to just be friends. Though she was certain, being the genius that he was, Neji undoubtedly knew her feelings despite her efforts.

"Hn." He moved to her side; gently wrapping the rest of her kimono around her slender frame.

Every touch electrified her skin; sent heated shivers down her spine. Yet still, he remained ever his usual unexpressive self. She was used to it though. It was just the way things were with Neji...

Before long, he had finished helping her into her kimono and quickly proceeded to gently lift her up again. This time, however, instead of hoisting her back on his back, he picked her up in both arms and began carrying like a princess, or a like a newlywed husband would carry his bride.

"Thanks." Tenten wrapped her arms around his neck securely; bashfully turning her gaze down after meeting his for only a moment. That moment was enough to send her blushing in a deep crimson. She couldn't help it. He was so handsome. _'Stop it.'_ She quietly scolded herself for thinking those kinds of thoughts, especially at a time like that.

Carefully, the two teammates walked down to the small village. It appeared to be a rural little town, with very few commercial buildings, and a small population. But there was also a warm, inviting feeling to it; easing some of Tenten's earlier tensions.

"Welcome to our humble village weary travelers." A kindly old man happily greeted the pair upon their entering the village. "Can I interest you in…"

"Husband." The elderly woman standing next to him scolded; effectively cutting him off. "Leave the poor kids alone, can't see you see they're clearly here to get away from it all?" She gently smiled up at the disguised shinobi. "Why else would a couple pick our distant little village for their honeymoon?" She added; a knowing smile on her face as she eyed the young couple.

"Honeymoon?" The old man voiced the two shinobi's shock; though they refrained from showing it themselves.

"Of course!" The old woman insisted. "Just call it women's intuition. I can tell when two people are deeply in love with one another; and these two are most certainly still at that timid newly-wed stage." A chipper giggle escaped the old woman's smiling face; deepening the creases in her skin as she amusedly took in the sight of the two youngster's reddening expressions.

"My, my; it seems, as always, you are right, dear." The old man chuckled along with his wife. "Well if you two love-birds are looking for a place to stay, there is no better hotel then Zenkai Onsen." (1)

"Husband, you say that all the time." The old woman shook her head laughingly.

"But it's true." The old man insisted.

"That is because it's the only one." His wife responded. "But just the same," She turned back to the younger couple. "It is a beautiful hot spring, with excellent service." She nodded. "And..." The old woman paused; eyeing the couple carefully. "The Spring is prefect for timid couples, it has the power to make you true to your selves." She informed the two sparing partners; a knowing smile creeping on her face.

"Arigato." Neji politely thanked the elderly couple, before quickly moving toward the direction the older couple indicated to.

"They seemed nice." Tenten awkwardly tried to make conversation as they walked to the hotel. She was still feeling a bit embarrassed by the old woman's comments.

"Hai." Neji nodded; seemingly completely unfazed by their earlier situation.

"…" She was used to the silence between them. It wasn't the uncomfortable type; there was a sense of peace to their quiet moments. But this was different; maybe because he was holding her, or maybe because of what the old woman had said. It was true that SHE loved him, but could it be possible that Neji also loved her too? '_That can't be it._' Tenten shook her head.

He had blushed as well; Tenten was sure of it. But what did that really mean? '_Nothing. It meant nothing._' She told herself; sighing heavily.

"I will locate a doctor as soon as we get a room." Neji uncharacteristically broke the silence.

"Hai." She nodded; slightly surprised that he had been the first to speak for a change.

"Welcome!" A friendly looking woman, in her mid to late thirties, with dark red hair and deep piercing eyes, smiled warmly as the two of them entered the hotel the older couple had recommended.

Deciding to go with the story the old couple had already picked out for them, the two teammates registered themselves as newly weds, hoping that the cover story would also provide them with less interactions with the other people in the village and possible hotel patrons, as most would undoubtedly assume the young couple would prefer to be left alone; which in fact, the two sparring partners wanted nothing more, for the time they would be resting in the small village.

With the help of the front desk lady, Neji was also able to locate the village doctor who quickly took a look at his injured 'bride', whom Neji had explained, had tripped and fallen during their travel to get to the remote village. The doctor easily bought the story and instructed that Tenten remain off of her feet for the duration of three days. He also recommended that she take advantage of the healing properties in the hotsprings; an order she more than gladly agreed to follow.

"But... ummm..." Tenten gestured towards her bandaged leg.

"Ah, it's alright!" The elderly doctor smiled warmly at the girl; perfectly understanding that she was asking whether she could go into the hotsprings with her leg bandaged as it was. "I'll leave some more bandages to reapply after your bath. Just be sure to not put too much pressure on it."

"But..." The kunoichi hesitantly began again. "If I'm not supposed to move, then how..." She turned down to hide her rising blush.

"Oh..." The doctor smirked at the girl's innocent naivety. "Don't worry about that." He smiled knowingly as he turned toward the Hyuga who was standing near the door, silently observing the old man as he treated his 'bride'. "This hotel has mixed baths, your husband can take you into the Spring." He quietly snickered; upon seeing the matching reddening shades quickly rising on both shinobi's faces. "Well I'll take my leave now." The old man waved, before quickly existing the room; leaving the two teammates alone in the room.

"Ummm...." Tenten nervously played with her hair; which she had let down before they entered the village. It was a habit she had picked up in childhood; playing with her hair whenever she was nervous, much like Hinata played with her fingers. It was for that reason that she generally wore her hair up. "Maybe we should..." Tenten trailed off as she hesitantly looked down at the single bed in the room; nervously wondering whether it would be okay with just the two of them there.

Though they had shared close quarter's before, on many missions where they had been stuck together in a small tent or a narrow cave, this was the first time they would actually be sleeping on the same bed. The idea utterly terrified Tenten. It wasn't because she thought he would do anything inappropriate; after all, this was Neji she was thinking about. What made her nervous was that _she_ might end up doing, or more precisely, _saying_ something revealing during her sleep...

Tenten was fairly certain that Neji knew how she felt about him, but up until that moment, they had never really brought it up; and he had never acknowledged it. Tenten assumed that was because he didn't feel the same, or because he didn't want to ruin their friendship or their team's dynamics, or perhaps for both reasons. Whatever the cause, it was obvious to her that it was best for all, to leave her feelings unspoken; if she were to confess, or worst, act upon her feels (consciously or otherwise), Tenten was certain it wouldn't turn out well, and the last thing she wanted was to mess things up between them.

"Maybe we should rest." She turned back up to face the Hyuga, only to find that he had already made his way over to the bed and had begun laying down on the opposite side from where she was sitting.

"Hn." Neji grunted indifferently, before falling down on his stomach and quickly drifting off to sleep; without a single mention about their current circumstances.

"Huh..." Tenten eyed the sleeping prodigy. "Guess you were really tired." She whispered softly as she stared down at his calm face. She didn't blame him. After fifteen hours of running through dense forest, she too felt tired; and _she_ hadn't been the one carrying another person on her back. "Haah." Tenten exhaled deeply; smiling down at the peaceful expression Neji had as he slept for the first time in nearly two days. "Goodnight Neji." She half-yawned, before laying her head down on the pillow and slowly drifting off into a peaceful slumber.

A few hours later, Tenten awoke only to find herself face to face with a pair of familiar white eyes staring back at her. "Haah!" She gasped; jumping back, away from the Hyuga.

"Tenten." Neji worriedly called out, as he reached over the bed to catch the kunoichi before she could fall off the edge of the bed.

"Haah!" She gasped again at the feel of his strong arms powerfully pulling her forward.

"I apologize for startling you." Neji politely stated.

"..." Tenten stared questioning at the Hyuga. "It's okay." She quickly replied.

She was beginning to wonder what that had all been about, when suddenly she realized that he was still holding her. Immediately, her face began to warm up, as she turned to stare away from him. '_What's going on?_' Tenten wondered; noticing an unfamiliar gleam in Neji's eyes as she timidly peeked back at him out of corner of her eyes. '_No, no, no._' The kunoichi shook her head of the thoughts that were threatening to surface. Of course it meant nothing. Neji had surely only been concerned about her because of her injury. "Umm, Neji..." She hesitantly began. "You can let go now." Tenten nervously whispered.

"..." Instantly, as if only after hearing her speak did he realize that he was still holding her, Neji released the kunoichi and calmly sat up straight on his side of the bed. "Hn." He rose to his feet and walked over to a corner of the room, where he had placed their packs when they first arrived in the room.

Feeling a little awkward, Tenten tried distracting herself with the hotel brochures sitting on the nightstand next to her. According to the pamphlets, the doctor had been right about the healing properties of the Springs. Apparently, the hotsprings were famous for their ability to bring anyone who steps into them, back into prefect health. The steam that surrounded the village also seemed to have a relaxing and joyful effect on people; it allowed a person to feel free and unrestricted. A prefect stop for a restful vacation.

"That sounds nice..." Tenten mused to herself as she continued looking over the pamphlets.

"Hn?" Neji arched his brow as he looked over at the day-dreamy kunoichi. "Did you say something?"

"Huh?" Tenten quickly turned to face the Hyuga; momentarily forgetting the embarrassment of a few minutes earlier. "Oh." She shook her thoughts clear. "I was just thinking the hotsprings look nice." She stammered quickly.

"..." Neji rose to his feet and began walking over towards the kunoichi. "Would you like me to take you to them?" He asked, as he looked down at the pamphlet she was holding.

"Ahh..." The memory of what the old doctor had implied before leaving their room a few hours earlier, immediately rushed into the kunoichi's head; causing a faint, and now all too familiar, pink hue to color her usually pale complexion. "You're going to come in too?" She nervously asked; her eyes shifting nervously to the foot of the bed.

"Hai." Neji calmly nodded, before walking over to the small closet in the corner of the room, where the bathrobes and towels were stored.

She, of course, understood why he might believe it was necessary for them to enter the Spring together. Not only was she injured, and would need help to get in, but it would also seem suspicious if a pair of newly weds went to a onsen together, but bathed separately; especially when the place had mixed baths. Still, it unnerved Tenten that he could so easily accept something like that. It was almost as if Neji didn't see her as a woman at all.

"Haah." Tenten sighed dejectedly. "Okay." She nodded; accepting both the towel and robe Neji handed her, as well as her obvious fate as a woman with an unrequited love for a man who didn't even noticed her. "Haah."

Carefully, after Neji went into the bathroom to give them both privacy to change, Tenten slowly removed the kimono she was still wearing. It was a lot easier to remove a kimono than it was to put one on, but just the same, it wasn't an easy task when one was injured. After struggling with the blue dress-clothes for a while, Tenten eventually managed to maneuver herself out of her kimono and into the simple cream-colored towel that would be her only cover inside the spring. The thought of that suddenly set the kunoichi's face on fire again, as she realized how exposed she would actually be.

"Tenten?" A voice from being the bathroom door called out to her. "May I come out?" Neji asked, before receiving a positive response from the still blushing kunoichi and then proceeding to reenter the room in a matching cream-colored towel and a still yet unclosed bathrobe.

"Haa." Tenten softly gasped upon seeing her sparring partner step out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. It wasn't that she had never seen his chiseled chest before, or his well defined abs, or his muscular legs... '_Stop it!_' The kunoichi scolded herself; turning away and reaching for her own bathrobe.

As she moved to pull the robe to cover her body, Neji walked over to pick her up in his arms. Together, they walked out into the springs. It was dark out. A noticeable absence of people out in the Spring, as they carefully walked into the healing water. Somehow, though there was no one else to see her in the small towel, being alone with just Neji made Tenten feel ever more self conscious than if they had been naked, surrounded by a multitude of people.

"Ummm..." Tenten nervously chewed her lower lip, as she faced the opposite direction from where the Hyuga had sat down against the stone wall of the spring. "Haa." She exhaled deeply; her muscles relaxing quickly in the soothing warm waters of the Spring. "Mmm." Tenten pressed her back against the wall; closing her eyes in the process. She felt weird. They hadn't been there long enough for the warmth of the Spring to cloud her mind; so then why was she feeling so lightheaded? "hmmm." Tenten moaned; feeling her eyes grow heavy.

"Tenten?" A familiar baritone voice called to her from above.

"Huh?" She turned upwards; staring at the same white eyes she had woken up to less than an hour earlier. "Neji?" She softly whispered his name; feeling his arms as he gently lifted her up out of the water. She hadn't even realized that she had slipped in past her chin.

"Are you feel unwell?" Neji's voice sounded distant as he held her up in the water.

"Mmm." Tenten searched for him. 'Where are you?' She searched for the Hyuga through clouded eyes. Was he leaving her? A desperate feeling inside of her was telling her she had to stop him from leaving. "Neji..." She reached out to grab his face. "Neji..." She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't. The steam was making her tired. But she also felt light, and peaceful; almost as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she could feel truer to herself. "Neji... I... I lo-"

"Shhhh." A finger pressed up against her lips; telling her to remain silent.

"But I need-" Tenten began to protest. A voice deep within her pleaded that she be true to her heart. She felt almost possess. She needed to say it; though for so long she had tried to avoid it. "Neji, I lov-" Suddenly, a pair of warm lips enveloping hers; interrupting the kunoichi mid-confession.

Soon, a pair of muscular arms warped themselves tightly around her, as Tenten played into the kiss. Neji's strong arms felt so good around her; his lips were firm, yet gentle as he kissed her. She could feel his tongue dart out to run across her lips; probing gently to enter her mouth. Readily, the kunoichi accepting him, as he hungrily devoured her mouth. She could barely stand; her knees threatening to give out as he explored her mouth with his tongue. Tenten could hardly breath when he released her mouth, moving down to kiss her neck. Slowly, Neji slid his tongue up to her ear and sucked gently on her lobe before kissing back down to her collarbone.

"Tenten." The Hyuga lustfully whispered as he looked down into her honey tinted eyes. "I love you too." He confessed, before swooping back down to recapture her lips.

'_The Spring is prefect for timid couples, it has the power to make you true to your selves._'

The old woman's words echoed in the kunoichi's head, as the Hyuga continued to passionately kiss her; holding her close to his muscular chest; the thin towels they wore being the only thing that separated them.

"I love you." Tenten breathlessly whispered, after the two of them finally parted.

Three days.

It was going to be a promising detour...

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

(1) Zenkai means "complete recovery of health"… and Onsen means hot spring (of course, I'm sure everyone knew that one by now)

* * *

**SPECIAL NOTE: I wanted to make a few announcements, so please bare with me a little.**

**1. fmorgana and I started a new NejiTen fanfic writing group on deviantart (the link is on my profile) so if anyone's interested, please feel free to join.**

**2. I realized I'm REALLY REALLY close to the TWO THOUSAND review marks in this story and I'm hoping to get there by chapter One Hundred, so please do you're part and help by reviewing XD**

**3. I've got a TON of new fanart on deviant art (just thought I'd throw that out there)**

**4. I discovered (was told) I have a wiki-fanpage a few days ago! isn't that awesome! *so proud***

**that's all, thanks again for reading and reviewing my stories... it's because you guys enjoy them that I keep writing, and I LOVE hearing from you guys, so please click that button and review ;)  
**


	78. Dinner Date

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: It was written quickly... so it might not be to my usual level, but I haven't really had much time for writing lately (or inspiration until today), but I hope you all enjoy it anyway.

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**DINNER DATE****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The sound of a distant clock, ticking in the other room echoed in the still emptiness. Turning over her shoulder, the kunoichi's excited brown eyes searched for the digital clock behind her.

One hour.

She had one hour until he would arrive. Plenty of time to prepare the dinner she had promised him months earlier, but which had been postponed time and again; an inevitable consequence of the hectic life of a shinobi.

"Haah." The kunoichi sighed; feeling physically exhausted, but determined to carry out her objective.

The meal she was preparing wasn't anything extravagant. It was a simple meal. But it would be the first meal she had ever cooked for him, and for that reason alone, the kunoichi wanted it to be something special. She had thought long and hard about what it was she would make for him. He, a man of refined and noble upbringing, was probably used to elaborate and delicious meals that she was certain she could never compete with. Still, the meal she had decided to cook, one with a meaningful memory from her long forgotten childhood, was something she was especially proud of, and hoped he would enjoy.

"Okay." The bun-haired girl inhaled deeply; mentally pumping herself up.

Turning to the tattered old book of recipes that had been passed down her mother's side of the family for generations, the kunoichi turned to the page she marked in the book. It was a spicy shrimp and noodle recipe. One which the girl could remember her mother had often made for her father, who would in turn, always smile and tell the woman that he loved her and her cooking.

"But..." The kunoichi considered for moment. Though she wanted to make this particular meal for the man she loved, the kunoichi knew _he_ didn't particularly like spicy foods.

Briefly remembering the incident with the Curry of Life, the kunoichi wondered if perhaps this wasn't the best dish to serve.

"He does like shrimp though..." She mused cheerfully; deciding she would stick to her plan of making the spicy plate.

_At the very least_, she considered, _the rice should help cool down the spiciness_. She reminded herself, before turning once more to look over her shoulder to where she had already placed the white grains into the rice cooker. Just the right amount of water put into the insulated steamer, so that the texture of the rice would come out soft and moist, just like she knew he liked it.

"Okay." The kunoichi exhaled deeply; rubbing her hands together eagerly as she looked down at the counter where the pile of ingredients she had bought early in the day, was staring back at her.

Grabbing the bag of shrimp, the kunoichi took a pair of kitchen scissors and expertly cut open the plastic. Turning her gaze up to the cupboards overhead, the girl pulled out a metal colander and walked over toward the sink; shrimp in hand. Quickly dumping the raw prawns into the colander, the kunoichi opened the faucet; running warm water over the shrimp to rinse them clean. After shaking the metal bowl clear of all water, the girl went back to the counter and placed the shrimp carefully on lined paper towels and began patting them dry.

"There." She smiled triumphantly, before turning back to the tattered old cook book and reading what the next step was. "Marinate the shrimp in the five-spice powder and cornstarch for at least fifteen minutes," she read off the fading page. "Fifteen minutes?" The kunoichi quickly turned back to the digital clock, wondering if that would leave her enough time to finish before her date arrived. "Oh well." She shrugged; hoping fifteen minutes would be enough.

In a new bowl, the kunoichi put in 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder and 1 teaspoon cornstarch, mixing it together before putting in the 20 one-ounce shrimp she had just washed. Setting the bowl aside, she turned back toward the other ingredients and immediately grabbed hold of the succulent, white stemmed, leafy vegetable, that closely resembled a long leafed lettuce, but with a darker shade of green in the leaves.

"Did I wash this already?" The kunoichi asked herself as she held the two stalks of bok choy she had already had in her refrigerator. "Might as well be sure." She shrugged, before taking the leafy vegetable, along with the colander she had just used, back to the sink and rinsing them off as she pulled apart the stalks and leaves.

Pulling the cutting border out of the dish rack, over toward the counter with the other ingredients, the kunoichi quickly cut across the leaves of the bok choy and cut the stalks into diagonal 1-inch pieces.

"Next, umm..." The bun-haired kunoichi ran her index finger across the next line in the recipe; reaching out for the wok with her other hand, as she read to herself.

She turned one of the back burners on, opting to cook further back because she knew, from experience, that stir-frying often led to splatter of oil. The kunoichi decided to save herself some cleaning time, thinking it would be easier for clean up to contain the splatter on the stove top, instead of letting it reach the floor; which would inevitably occur if the wok were on one of the front burners.

After waiting for the wok to heat up, she added two tablespoons of peanut oil to it, before adding the marinated shrimp to the cast-iron cooking instrument. Tossing the shrimp around in the rounded pan, the kunoichi expertly pushed the now pink prawns to the side of the pan, before adding the chopped bok choy stalks and two shredded leaves of cabbage she had prepared the night before. Using nothing but the handle of the cast-iron wok, the kunoichi tossed and flipped the mixture of ingredients in the pan for a few minutes, before adding the bok choy leaves and a teaspoon of soy sauce; stir-frying the contents until the vegetables turned a bright color.

"That looks right." The girl smiled to herself as she pulled the wok off of the burner and removing the contents; putting the vegetables and shrimp on a separate dish so she could reuse the round pan.

Adding two more tablespoons of peanut oil to the wok, the kunoichi moved back to the cutting board she had used earlier, as she waited for the oil to get hot. Taking two cloves of garlic and 2 slices of ginger from the diminishing pile of ingredients she had set out, she placed them on the board. Turning quickly to her right, the weapons mistress earnestly removed a sharp, well kept, knife from the stainless steel collection she had bought herself years ago, and gracefully began chopping the garlic and ginger into finely sliced slivers. Hearing the bubbling of the oil in the cast-iron pan, she quickly brought the cutting board over the wok pan and slowly added the garlic and ginger, listening to it sizzle as the garlic and ginger hit the hot oil. With a wooding spoon, she slowly stirred the mixture until it became aromatic; the strong smells of garlic and ginger prickling at her nose, before she added a pound of fresh noddles to the concoction. Stir-frying briefly, the kunoichi then pulled out the hot bean paste which gave the receipt it's spicy taste. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if the dish would work without the kick in the spicy bean paste, before eventually convincing herself that it would not be the same if it didn't have that taste. Slowly adding the one tablespoon of hot bean sauce, she once more looked back at the digital clock, to see that she still had about fifteen minutes before her date was to arrive.

"Good." The kunoichi smiled, knowing that she had just enough time to get herself changed into the simple red dress she had laid out on her bed before she began cooking.

Finished with the noodles, the girl quickly removed the wok from the back burner, turning the stove off, before adding the shrimp and vegetables to the pan and mixing everything together.

"Perfect." She sighed.

Seeing that everything was done, and all she needed now to do was change her clothes, the kunoichi swiftly ran out of the kitchen; giving the digital clock one last glance, as she checked to make sure that both the stove and ricer cooker were turned off.

Rushing to her room, she briefly checked to make sure her hair, which she had styled earlier, still looked orderly and in place. "Maybe I should let it down?" The kunoichi pondered, of her simple up-do. Quickly walking over to her bed, where she already picked her outfit for the night, the kunoichi gracefully pulled the silky red dress over her head; wiggling the fabric down her hips, as she adjusted the top of the dress to prevent too much cleavage from showing. She wanted him to think she looked sexy in her dress, but she also wanted to look classy.

Quickly giving her self a once over in the large mirror in front of her bed, the kunoichi pulled back at her loose bun. Running her fingers through her now cascading hair, she smiled at her reflection, giving herself an encouraging thumbs up, before walking back out of room to wait for her date to arrive.

Making her way towards the small candle-lit dinning table, a few feet from her living room couch in the tiny apartment, the kunoichi checked the ticking clock on the other side of the room.

Five minutes.

Knowing _he_ was never late, but also never early, the kunoichi decided to rest for the remaining five minutes until her date arrived. Swiftly walking over to the large couch in living room area, she sat down and comfortably leaned into the soft material; closing her tired eyes momentarily as she listened to the ticking of the clock and the rhythm of her breathing.

"Mmmm." She moaned rocking her head to the side before opening her eyes, only to find herself no longer sitting on the warm comfortable couch in her living room. "Huh?" The kunoichi quickly sat up; momentarily disoriented, before she realized she had been laying in her bed.

"Mmm." A groan to her left, informed the kunoichi she was not the only one in large queen-sized bed.

"Haah!" She gasped upon seeing the sleeping face of the man laying besides her. Curiously eyeing the alarm clock on her right, the kunoichi was surprised to discover three hours had passed since she had closed her eyes on the couch.

By now, her food had undoubtedly gotten cold. Making all her hard work unnecessary. But it didn't matter. Seeing the restful expression of the man she loved laying next to her, and knowing he was probably almost as exhausted as she had felt, made the kunoichi smile. Just like her, he had needed the rest, yet had still agreed to meet her for their eternally postponed dinner date.

"Oh well," she shrugged. "Maybe next time." The kunoichi smiled, before laying back down next to the sleeping shinobi. "Good night Neji." She whispered into the night, before snuggling up next to the white-eyed prodigy.

"Hn." Neji grunted in his sleep; bringing an arm around the kunoichi he had carried into the room after finding her asleep on the couch. "Good night Tenten." He half-mumbled as the two young lovers quickly drifted back into their comfortable slumber.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

**A/N**: Classy IS sexy! :P And Naps are awesome!

Sorry, just felt like saying that. XD

Now I'm off to bed, even though I had a nice long nap already... XP


	79. Rose

**pairing(s)/fandom: **Nejiten**  
word count: **1316**  
prompt(s) used: **Rose**  
WARNINGS: **It's been 2 months since I've written ANYTHING (non-law school related that is) therefore I'm a bit rusty... so not necessarily my best work...but it's a step in the right direction I'd say.**  
WARNING 2: **If anyone so much as utters the words "This is short" "Drabble" or anything in the neighborhood, I will never write again! (sorry a bit touchy at the moment and those kinds of "reviews" are my BIGGEST PET PEEVE! .. not even as a joke please)  
**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto! (but if I did, it'd be called TENTEN! or NEJITEN!)

_**A/N: ****Sorry it's been so long since I last updated.. school and all... but hey, I graduated from law school!!!! woot! (graduation's on the 19th... then the dreaded BAR EXAM at the end of February!)**_

* * *

_**  
.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_**ROSE**_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

"Such a kind boy," the old woman had said. A large, toothless grin, spread widely across her wrinkled face, as she happily handed Neji the red rose she had picked from her garden. It was a token of her appreciation toward the Hyuga, who had run into the old woman on his way out of the Hokage tower, where he had found her struggling with two large bags of groceries. Neji had helped the old woman carry her bags back to her home, on the opposite side of the village, and as a show of gratitude, she had wanted to give him something. But he had refused to accept any sort of payment, so instead she had given him a flower.

A rose, to be more precise.

"Hn." Neji stared curiously at the simple, yet elegant flora in his hand.

What was he supposed to do with a rose?

A part of him considered discarding the flower into the nearest trash receptacle he could find. But of course that was not an option. If there was one thing that a Hyuga was taught from very early on in his childhood, it was to respect his elders; and throwing away something that had been given to him by one, especially when it was clear she had given it to him with heartfelt appreciation, would not only be an insult to the gesture, but also a vulgar impropriety; shaming the Hyuga name and everything the noble clan stood for.

"Che." Neji uncharacteristically scoffed as he realized there was no way he could do something so ill-mannered.

But then what was he to do?

Looking down at the rose, as he carefully held it in his hand, weary to not prick himself on its thorns, Neji considered the idea of giving the rose to someone else. The question of course was, who to? As he thought about it for a moment, the only logical choice he could come up with was... Hinata.

Yes, Hinata would make the most reasonable choice. If he recalled correctly, the Hyuga heiress was actually quite fond of flowers.

"Hn." Neji nodded, as he turned and began walking back toward the Hyuga compound.

As he walked, at a calm yet steady pace, Neji once more looked down, appraising the rose he held in his hand. He thought that it was rather beautiful, even for a flower of its kind. Staring at the soft velvety petals that almost looked too perfect to be real, Neji pulled the flower up to confirm the faint, yet sweet scent that betrayed just how real it was. The thorns on its steam were surprisingly large and sharp, but at the same time almost seems fitting; a threatening beauty that added to the flower's allure.

"Hn." Neji frowned as he brought the flower back down, away from his nose. Something about that description in his mind, seemed oddly familiar... He just didn't know why... "..."

Returning his attention back to the road ahead of him, Neji fell back a step as he almost missed the familiar green blur that suddenly ran past him at incredibly speed; nearly knocking the white-eyed prodigy off his feet.

"Neji-kun!" A spirited Lee ran back toward the Hyuga, after having realized he had jetted by his stoic teammate. "I apologize for almost knocking you over." The overzealous taijustu user exaggeratedly bowed in front of the white-eyed shinobi. "I shall have to been more careful in my training!" Lee bowed again. "It will not happen again!"

"Enough Lee." Neji sternly glared at the spandex-clad boy; stopping him before Lee could harm himself from all the bowing.

"But Neji-kun I-" Lee abruptly stopped as he stared down at the Hyuga's hand; for the first time realizing what it was the young prodigy was carrying. "Oh this is wonderful Neji-kun!" The younger green-beast excitedly declared; posing in his idol's trademark 'good-guy' stance. "To think that the youthful genius of our team has at long last realized the springtime of his youth!" Lee joyfully proclaimed; a beaming smile plastered on his face as he happily jumped up and down, switching his gaze between the Hyuga's face and the rose in his hand. "Gai-sensei will be so proud to know that youthful love has blossomed in our genius teammate's youthful heart!" The chunnin boy exclaimed as he continued to eye the flower in Neji's hand. "Oh I shall tell him immediately!" He then declared, before turning on his heels and running back in the direction he had perviously come from; shouting "Yosh!" as he disappeared into the nearby forest, leaving Neji once more alone with his thoughts.

"Hn." Shaking his head of the nonsensical ramblings of his teammate, Neji once more looking down at the rose. For some reason, his early thoughts that perhaps Hinata would be the best option, now no longer seemed as logical as he had originally decided. Something about what Lee had said, and how he had stared at the rose, proclaiming it as a sign of love and affection began to nag at the Hyuga. True, he felt love and affection towards his cousin, but it was not the kind that Lee had obviously been implying. It was more a romantic love that his teammate had been going on about, and that was in no way appropriate to be conveying between cousins; though Neji was certain Hinata would likely not take it in such a way. But just the same, it was preferable to avoid confusion.

"Then who?" Neji mumbled.

Who was he to give the rose to now?

"Hi Neji." A soft, sweet, familiar voice called out from behind the Hyuga.

Turning to face the familiar girl standing behind him, it suddenly hit the prodigy like a ton of bricks. "Tenten." Without so much as a thought, the Hyuga's hand unconsciously extended out toward the smiling bun-haired kunoichi, offering the girl the flower, almost as if on impulse.

"What's this?" Tenten looked back and forth between the Hyuga and the rose; confusion clearly etched onto her face.

"A rose." Neji hoarsely replied.

For some reason his mouth felt dry, his throat coarse and stiff. As his mind foggily made note of this, an interesting sensation suddenly took over the Hyuga as he continued looking at the weapons mistress. Something new and unexpected; an almost out of body experience, were he could see himself standing before the kunoichi, offering her the flower he held in his hand, and yet he was there at the same time. His mind couldn't seem to make sense out of it, nor was it able to form any reason as to why he was offering the flower to his female teammate.

"Um..." With an uncertain smile to the stoic boy, Tenten wearily eye the rose she was offered.

"For you." Neji managed to voice in as normal a tone as he could manage, though his throat still felt dry and his heart was now beating so hard he was afraid it would burst out of his chest.

"Oh." Tenten's eyes grew wide as she accepted the flower. "It's beautiful." She smiled; leaned in towards the Hyuga and gently kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Hn." Neji nodded in acknowledgment of her gratitude, then turned to leave; making a quick exit before the kunoichi could see the rising flush on his pale complexion. But just as he was about the round the corner toward the direction of the Hyuga compound, he turned one last time to see the kunoichi as she brought the flower he had handed her, up to her nose to inhale the sweet aroma. "A beautiful, lethal rose..." He mused softly; smirking as he realized she really was...

_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_**THE END**_**.:.:.:.:.:.:.**_

**  
**_

* * *

_**A/N**: So I'm thinking of going through my old chapters and reformatting them and editing and stuff... I was wondering what people thought about the new format at the top... I'm doing it for the nejiten fanfic writing club I have on deviant art and we use that format cos my co-founder **devfmorgana** like it (though personally i've never really liked it... though I can see the benefit to it) anyway what do you all think of it? Should I keep it for this collection?


	80. Family

**Pairing(s)/fandom: **Nejiten  
**Word count: **1650  
**Prompt(s) used: **Family  
**WARNINGS: **_Lots of fluffiness!  
**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto!_

* * *

**FAMILY**

* * *

Snuggled up in a thick fluffy blankets, Tenten slowly fluttered her eyes open to the dim light in her cozy room. She felt warm. And a part of her desperately wanted to cling to that feeling. To submerge herself into the comforting blankets surrounding her, and spend the whole day doing nothing but sleep. Unfortunately, the uncomfortable pangs coming from her stomach told her _it_ had other plans.

"Ah." Tenten groaned as she slowly began pushing herself up into a seated position on the enormous bed in the center of her small room.

Her joints and bones all screamed out in protest; they too wished to remain laying in the nice comfort of her bed. Unfortunately, that was simply not meant to be, Tenten realized, as her stomach made another uncomfortable churning.

"Ok, ok." Tenten drowsily whispered, as she slowly began maneuvering her legs from out beneath the oversized blankets, to the edge of the bed. "I get it, we're hungry." She groaned painfully; hissing softly as her bare feet hit the cold tiled floor. "Carpet, rug..." The kunoichi muttered to herself; making a mental note to do something about the cold contrast that always assaulted her every time she stepped out of bed.

Quickly searching for the fluffy pink slippers Gai had given her as a gift the previous month (for no apparent reason other than that he said they reminded him of her) and the matching pink robe, Tenten inwardly thanked her goofy sensei for always being so considerate.

It was funny; while most people believed Gai's world revolved completely around Lee, the truth was, the mighty green beast loved all of his students with equal enthusiasm. Perhaps it was because all three had grown up without a true sense of family that he felt the need to play the father as much as the teacher. Or perhaps the fact that he himself had lost his family long ago during the great ninja wars, and his students had filled a void in his heart. Or maybe there was some other reason. Whatever the cause, a father figure was exactly what Gai was to them. True, he was demanding at times, and as a disciplinarian he could be rather strict, but it was only because he cared for his students and believed they were capable of anything. He held a faith in his three students, greater than that of any other sensei.

To him, Neji wasn't just a prodigy of his clan, gifted with abilities passed down to him at birth; nor was Tenten a mere weapons nut, or Lee a taijustu-only shinobi. In Gai's eyes, they were geniuses of hard work and determination. Where many might see weakness; a blind spot, a poor defense, a limited skill...Gai only ever saw potential...

Neji was power. Greater than his bloodline; working harder and developing quicker than most, as he tapped into strengths and abilities in him that the rest of the clan could scarcely imagine. Tenten was intelligence. Not just a wielder of sharp pointy things, but a student of their steel, their weight, their history, their essence. Lee was heart. Wounded, but never defeated, his courage and enthusiastic determination were the very embodiment of the warrior spirit.

"Haah." Tenten sighed deeply; smiling lovingly as she glanced over to the small picture frame on her nightstand.

It was the old group photo Team Gai had taken years ago, upon formation of their genin squad. The one where Gai was standing in his 'good guy' pose behind Tenten, as Lee stood to her right in his new spandex suit, and Neji to her left, with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face as he tried pretending he didn't know any of them.

"Hehe." The kunoichi softly giggled as she remembered when that picture was taken.

At that time, their team had yet to adapt themselves to one another, having only been together a few weeks, but already Tenten had been convinced that she was surrounded by lunatics and freaks. She had known Neji only slightly during their academy years. He was the number one rookie the year they graduated, and had been a celebrated genius throughout their years in school. It was difficult _not_ to know who Hyuga Neji was. Lee, the opposite extreme, had been equally as difficult to go unnoticed; being the boy who couldn't do genjutsu or ninjutsu, and was weak in taijutsu. But she never interacted with either of them. As far as Tenten knew, Neji really was cold and heartless; Lee, clueless and inept. When she met Gai, she had all but given up hope that their would ever be any connection between the three genin and their sensei, who all seemed completely incompatible.

In the end, however, as weird and overly dramatic as Gai was, the three of them learned that there couldn't have been a better sensei for them. He was sweet and nurturing; always thinking about his kids; taking care of them when they were ill or hospitalized. He was the type that always tried his best to lift their spirits when life inevitably gave them a blow; always the first to congratulate or stop by on special occasions, like holidays and birthdays. And he never forgot to give them at least one encouraging word, or piece of advice (however unwanted it may be) whenever he saw them. Over time, his persistence and enthusiasm won them over, and they slowly grew to appreciate and love one another.

"Yeah..." Tenten affectionately smiled as she made her way towards the bedroom door; glancing over at the picture one last time before opening the door and stepping out into the small hallway.

Bringing the fluffy pink robe tightly around her body, Tenten slowly made her way down the narrow hall that lead to her small kitchen. As she neared the end of the hall, a warm smile spread upon the kunoichi's lips as an onslaught of scents and sounds attacked her senses.

"Tenten!" The long-haired shinobi in the lavender apron, gasped as he saw the kunoichi approaching.

"Tenten-san!" The two equally surprised green beasts rushed to her side, carefully walking her over to a nearby chair.

"What are you doing up?" Neji agitatedly asked, after putting away the apron and leaving the kitchen where he had apparently been busy making something to eat.

"Better question," Tenten began, after being seated and taking a few moments to catch her breath. "What are the three of you doing here? Shouldn't you be on a mission?"

"Dearest Tenten," Gai eloquently began, as he took a seat next to the kunoichi. "We could not possibly leave the precious flower of our team as she prepares to blossom into the most beautiful of roses."

"Eh?" Tenten cocked her head to the side; her mind, at the present moment, too frazzled to be able to decipher the meaning behind her former sensei's flowery words.

"We requested the week off." Neji plainly translated; walking in and out of the kitchen with a plate of delicious smelling food in hand.

"Thanks." Tenten smiled up at the white-eyed man as he placed the meal on the strong wooden table in front of her.

"Yosh!" Lee nodded enthusiastically. "And Gai-sensei said he has a good feeling about today, right Gai-sensei?" The bowl-haired boy turned to his idol, eagerly awaiting the older man's response.

"That is correct Lee-san!" Gai energetically agreed, enthusiastically standing up in an emotional pose; his hand balled up in a fist and pressed against his closed mouth as tears of joy began streaming down his face. "It is a most youthful occasion," he chokingly began, "when a delicate flower blooms new life..."

"Okay..." Tenten wearily smiled up at the older man, quickly turning her attention back to the meal in front of her. "ah."

"What is it?" Neji worriedly questioned; his senses on high alert as he observed the kunoichi painfully clench her stomach.

"It's just..." Tenten winced; pressing her hand hard against her swollen abdomen. "I... I thought I was hungry but... mmm"

"Haa! Gai-sensei!" Lee gasped from behind the kunoichi. "Is this the stream you spoke of, which would appear at Tenten-san's blossoming?" The younger green beast exclaimed as he pointed at the area below Tenten's chair.

"What?!" Tenten and Neji yelled out in unison; turning down to see the pool of water puddled on the floor beneath the kunoichi.

Anxiety and panic quickly surged inside the weapons mistress, before the adrenaline began to pump through her body. She looked up at the three men anxiously looking to her for what next to do, having no more expected that moment to come so soon, than the woman herself had.

"Lee, get my bag, it's the green one in the bedroom. Gai-sensei," Tenten turned to the older man as Lee quickly disappeared into the other room. "Call the hospital and let them know we're on our way." She ordered, before turning to the wide-eyed man standing in front of her as she gently tried to exhale and calm her nerves. "And Neji," Tenten smiled up at the now much calmer Hyuga.

Neji smiled back, knowing exactly what it was that the kunoichi wanted to say but could not seem to put into words at the moment. "Hn." He grinned; gently stroking his hand over Tenten's protruding belly as he carefully helped the kunoichi to her feet and slowly began walking her towards the front door of their small apartment, where the two other men who, over the years, had become more than teammates, more than friends, were already waiting for them. "Our family is about to grow..." He finished for his wife.

"Hai." Tenten nodded happily.

**.:.:.:.:.:. THE END:.:.:.:.:.:.**

* * *

**A/N: **It's been a while, I know, but I'm really busy with studying for the bar. I do hope to have something up for Tenten's birthday and maybe valentines day, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that people. Anyway... I also wanted to invite anyone who is interested, on DA we're holding a holiday contest, if anyone's interested in participating, just go to my profile and check out the group (titled **NEJITEN WRITING GROUP**).


	81. February 14

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Agh... I'm so out of practice that my writing isn't as great as I'd like it to be (I had so much trouble with transitions on this one), but it's been a while since I've updated, so I decided I might as well post something. Happy V-Day everyone!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_

* * *

_

**FEBRUARY 14**

**

* * *

  
**

February 14th.

Perhaps the most dreaded day of the year for the Hyuga prodigy. Every year, Neji was hounded by the overzealous, obsessive fangirls that wanted to give him gifts. Gifts that he neither asked for, nor desired to receive, but which nonetheless came every year. Because of this, and because of the fact that he was forbidden from harming the irritating gift givers, Neji spent most of the day either hiding, or running from large crowds of screaming girls. And it was for this reason that he hated February 14th.

This year was of particular annoyance, however, because for the first time since he had found a momentary solution to his February 14 problem, Neji's metal shield had disappeared, due to the fact that Tenten had requested the day off from Gai-sensei. The worse part of it, however, was the unfamiliar feelings the Hyuga was experiencing because of this. For one, he didn't know why the kunoichi had requested the day off, as she had refused to talk to him for the past week; which greatly annoyed the white-eyed prodigy. Secondly, it was the significance of the day and the fact that her specifically requesting February 14th could only possibly mean she must have had Valentines day plans. It irritated Neji to imagine that the kunoichi who had always been at his side, and whom he had grown considerably fond of, might have a romantic life he did not know about. Additionally, the possibility she may have someone special in her life made him feel angry and … disappointed.

"What is it?" Tenten stared coldly at her white-eyed teammate, as Neji, never one to walk away from a problem, stood outside her front door, wanting to repair the rift that had come between them..

"Hn." He grunted, staring her down, as if she should know without him telling her why he was there; though he himself barely understood it.

"I'm not in the mood to play guessing games." Tenten growled. "I've got a busy day ahead of me, so if you're not going to speak, come back tomorrow."

Attempting to keep his composure, Neji tried not too look stunned by the kunoichi's words. Though he hated to admit it, the anger and resentment behind her words actually hurt. It was clear to him now, that whatever was going on, he must have done something to her to get her so angry. What that might be, however, Neji hadn't the slightest clue.

"Hn." He shrugged, before slowly turning away and departing; leaving the bun-haired girl to do what it was that had her so busy, but more importantly, leaving to give himself time to figured out what was going on and to put his emotions in order before confronting the kunoichi.

As he was walking way and in the middle of asking himself what he could have possibly done to offend the kunoichi, Neji suddenly stopped, when out of the corner of his eye he spotted their more enthusiastic teammate jetting down the opposite street in the direction of Tenten's house. Neji was about to head over towards him and see if perhaps Lee had some idea as to why Tenten was so mad at him, when he noticed Lee was carrying a medium sized crate. Curiously activating his byakugan, Neji soon discovered the crate was full of what appeared to be coin-shaped chocolates.

Discreetly moving into the forest that lined the street across from Tenten's house, Neji watched as Lee walked toward the kunoichi's door and delivered the crate. At the distance he was standing, it was difficult to hear what was being said between the two teammates. But fortunately, thanks to his training, Neji could almost clearly discern that the crate was a gift Lee had brought for the kunoichi, and that she had been very grateful, even though it appeared she believed it was too much. After a few more pleasantries and some overly enthusiastic promises from the bowl-haired boy, Lee quickly disappeared, on some self-imposed mission to gather red bags. Or at least that was what Neji thought he said, though he couldn't be quite certain since the spandex-clad boy had uttered his last statement rather quickly, before sprinting towards Konoha's shopping district.

As he watched his two teammates part ways, and noticed the cheerful manner in which Tenten had treated the other boy, a sharp pang jabbed at the Hyuga prodigy. Never before had he felt envious towards his peculiar teammate, but when he saw Tenten smiling sweetly at the other boy, a part of Neji felt incredibly hurt. It was then that he was reminded of his early though that perhaps the kunoichi had someone special in her life. Though it was doubtful that that someone special could be Lee, seeing as how, in all likelihood, the bowl-haired boy's candy was probably friendship chocolates, (**1**) nevertheless, the thought that he might be wrong stirred even more feelings of unease inside the Hyuga.

Not knowing was what bothered him the most. And so, he follow the other boy, in hopes of finding out what was really going on. Unfortunately, Neji had neglected to take into account that Lee's speed was significantly greater than his own. As a result, he had lost the bowl-haired boy soon after entering the village's shopping district.

"Damn!" Neji cursed under his breath.

Quickly searching the surrounding area for any hint of where the other shinobi had disappeared to, Neji's sharp eyes soon fell upon two familiar faces walking on the opposite side of the same street. Having more important things to do, Neji was about to walk away and pretend he hadn't seen them when he suddenly heard a familiar name uttered by one of the younger boys.

"We should find Tenten soon." The loud-mouth Inuzuka exclaimed to his silent teammate. "You finished finding everything you needed?"

"Hai." Shino curtly nodded, lifting his arm up half way to gesture to a black bag in his right hand.

"That's it?" Kiba cocked his head to the side as he eyed his teammate's shopping bag. "Weren't you the one complaining about not being included, and after all that all you got her was one bag?"

"..." Bringing his arm back down to his side, Shino once more nodded before somberly replying, "It is all that is required."

"What...?" Kiba incredulously stared at the other man. "So you're serious? That's all you're getting her?!"

"Hai." Shino replied, before turning back toward the road ahead of him and continuing to walk along side his teammate in silence.

"Tch, whatever." Kiba scoffed. "I hope she likes what I got her!" He smiled widely, waving a similarly sized red bag as the two headed toward the direction of the kunoichi's house.

"Grrrrrrr." Neji angrily glared at the two shinobi, as Kiba and Shino made their way out of the shopping district. Though he knew he did not have the entire story behind the conversation he had just overheard, and thus should not jump to any conclusions, Neji was nonetheless not pleased.

The logical part of his mind was telling the Hyuga that something had to be going on that he wasn't aware of. But the less logical, more angry, part of his mind was telling him that his so called friends were moving in on his girl!

Admittedly, Neji was aware that Tenten wasn't his to claim. After all, he'd never once confessed to her or anyone else, his long-harbored feelings toward the kunoichi. But just the same, Neji couldn't help feeling a sort of betrayal. He had always believed, that despite never speaking of his true feelings, his friends had, on some level, noticed that he liked her. And it was a common known fact that when a guy liked a girl, said guy's friends would not make a move on said girl.

"Grrrrr...." Neji clenched his teeth, grinding them slightly as he forced himself to look away from the direction where the two younger shinobi had taken off from, to and continue his search for Lee.

"SHIKAMARU!" A loud, familiar female voice yelled out as Neji turned a corner.

"What is it now, you troublesome woman?" The aforementioned ninja groaned as he turned to face the blond kunoichi who had just yelled at him.

"You're forgetting these!" Ino huffed, as she stomped over towards the lazy Nara and pushed a large bouquet of flowers in the boy's arms. "I thought you wanted to take these to Tenten early!" she fumed.

"Tch, are your flowers that bad that they'd wilt in a few hours?" Shikamaru retorted; leaning against the wall as if he expected this argument would take a while.

"WHAT?!" Ino shouted; visibly shaking from the anger she was clearly trying to suppress as she waved more patrons into her family's flower shop. "HOW DARE Y-"

"Besides," Shikamaru lazily cut her off, after she began yelling again when the last customer walked into the shop. "I was helping Chouji pick out what he was going to bring her."

"That's hardly an excuse!" Ino growled; glaring at the lazy genius angrily. "This is my busiest day of the year and I had those flowers waiting for you all morning, and-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Shikamaru cut her off once more. "I got it, you don't have to bite my head off!" He groaned; lazily pushing himself off the wall to walk away from the enraged kunoichi. "Troublesome woman." He scoffed; absent-mindedly walking passed the Hyuga with the arm full of flowers blocking his vision as he slowly counted out the steps to guide him in his direction.

"What is going on?..." Neji wondered aloud. His chest tightening as he tried not to think about the implications of all of his friends apparently giving gifts to the girl he liked.

He couldn't understand it. And it wasn't because he didn't believe the other boys could find Tenten attractive; after all, no one knew better than he did how amazing the weapons mistress was. What he couldn't understand was why today of all days did everyone decide to give her gifts. Yes, it was Valentines day. And yes, it was customary to give flowers and chocolates and other gifts to the person that one liked. But still, why all of a sudden? And why all of them? And why did they all seem aware of each other's gift giving and no be bothered by it? As Neji tried contemplation his friends possible motives, a shiver ran down the Hyuga's spin.

Someone was watching him.

"KYAAAAA!!!!" A piercing shout from behind him suddenly reminded the white-eyed prodigy why it was he hated this day so much to begin with, as a small group of fangirls spotted him from down the street.

Running as fast as he could, Neji sped desperately through the busy market area, turning corner after corner until he no longer knew where he was going and he was completely out of breath, as more and more fangirls joined in on the chase. (**2**) Eventually he did manage to lose them, but by then he had wandered off to some district in the village that he was unfamiliar with.

The place was unsightly. It was unpleasant. Mostly deserted, the surrounding areas appeared to be near decaying. The buildings were tattered and old, and the streets reeked of alcohol and urine. Crinkling his nose and he tried not to smell the stench, Neji's eyes inadvertently spotted a bright orange flash. Having already experienced similar situations in the past hour, Neji immediate knew who it was he had just seen.

"Naruto?" A somber voice called out to the boy in orange, as the Hyuga slowly approached the corner where he has spotted his younger friend running towards.

"What is it Sai?" Naruto responded, while lifting his right hand to knock on the rotting door in front of him.

"Should we be here?" The emotionless shinobi inquired as he listlessly eyed the surrounding area.

"Huh?" Naruto looked at his friend with a confused expression. "What do mean? This is the only place we can buy this stuff!"

"..." Sai expressionlessly returned his gaze to the blond boy. "But is this not an unsuitable district to visit?"

"Tch." Naruto scoffed. "You're thinking too much again. Besides, we're not doing anything bad. We're just here to pick up what I got Tenten-san."

"Hn." Sai stood perfectly unreadable as he mulled over his younger friend's words. "Would it not have been better to make your own gift?" He asked, after a moment. "I once read that gifts were more meaningful that way."

"Yeah well, not all of us can draw her a fancy scroll you know!" Naruto barked back in response.

"Do you believe Tenten-san will like my gift?" Sai asked, as he pulled out a scroll he had tucked in his waist pouch; completely ignoring the other boy's tone.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Naruto sighed dismissively. "I'm sure she'll love it!" He add, before quickly turning his attention back on the decaying door and proceeding to knock rapidly on it.

Furious to the point of no return, Neji had finally had enough! He needed to know what the hell was going on! And the only way for that to happen was to go straight to the source. Enraged beyond his limits of self-control, Neji quickly darted up to the nearest stable-looking rooftop and sped off in the direction of the bun-haired kunoichi's house. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, or even whether she would speak to him at all, but he knew one thing for certain... he didn't want Tenten spending Valentines Day with any other guy!

"TENTEN!" Neji yelled as he burst through the door of the kunoichi's house. (**3**)

"Haa! Neji?" Tenten gasped; staring wide-eyed at the Hyuga as he stood glaring angrily in front of her mangled door. "What the hell is going on?!" she demanded; quickly rising to her feet and stomping over to the enraged shinobi.

"That is what I'd like to know." Neji sternly replied; holding the kunoichi's heated glare as the two faced off in what appeared to be a battle of wills.

"Look what you did to my door!" Tenten angrily yelled; pointing to the broken door. "I have guests coming over for the Lunar New Year, and even though you declined to come when I sent you the invite, you decide to show up and break my door? What the hell, Neji?!?!"

"..." Dumbfounded, Neji stared speechless at the kunoichi, as she continued reprimanding him about her poor innocent door and his stupid pigheadedness, all the while slowly piecing together all the little bits of information in his head.

"What are you doing just standing there?!" Tenten called out to the white-eyed shinobi, as she desperately tried pulling her heavy oak door back up. "You could at least help m-"

A pair of soft, tender, lips cut the kunoichi off mid-sentence, as Neji quickly captured the girl's mouth and passionately began kissing her with all the fire and fury that he'd been building up the whole day. Firmly pressing his lips to hers, Neji's head began floating in sheer bliss as he hungrily devoured the kunoichi's mouth. Gently, he reached out and pulled her thin, shaking body to his; wrapping his arms around her waist as their kiss grew more heated. Then Neji slowly began probing his tongue passed her parted lips. When his tongue touched hers for the first time, a moan escaped the kunoichi, and she fell into his embrace.

"I never received it." Neji whispered, after the two of them finally parted.

"Huh?" Tenten looked up at him breathlessly.

"The invitation." Neji replied. "I never received it." He repeated.

"Oh." She hazily stared up at him; her mind still clearly clouded from their kiss. "Then... huh?" Shaking her head to try and clear it, Tenten furrowed her brow in concentration as she attempted to make sense of what was going on. "What just..."

"I thought you were having someone over for Valentines Day." Neji honestly replied; hoping that, along with the kiss, would be sufficient information for the kunoichi to understand what he was really saying.

"Oh!" A light went off behind the girl's honey-tinted eyes as her sharp mind easily picked up the Hyuga's hidden meaning. "Oh..." She blushed. "I don't." Tenten whispered; nodding her head over toward where some gold chocolate coin in thin see-thru red pouches, a black bag with folded paper lanterns, a red bag with incense sticks, and a bunch of flowers, all spread out across the living room floor.

"Hn." Neji smiled happily, as he pulled the kunoichi tighter into his arms; finally realizing what everything had been about.

All his life he had though he would forever hold that February 14th was the worst day of the year. But for the first time in a long time, Neji was glad he had been wrong. February 14th was a good day...

"Wait a minute." Tenten pulled away to look up at the white-eyed prodigy. "And that's why you went 'Dynamic Entry' on my door?!?" (**4**)

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

(1) I was going to write Obligatory/Obligation chocolates, since I've seen it in mangas so much, but I didn't think people would understand it, so I went with friendship chocolates instead.

(2) I totally got stuck on a transition there, and decided that my new solution for this is to set a pack of rabid fangirls after Neji, as punishment for not letting me write him better!

(3) Gai would be so proud!

(4) That little nugget of gold, was purely fmorgana's doing ;p had to rework it a little to make it fit, but the idea was all hers XD


	82. Bowerbirds

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: So I was watching this show on Animal Planet the other day and well... I was inspired... ;p

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

* * *

**BOWERBIRDS**

**

* * *

  
**

"Haaaah." Neji sighed loudly; letting his head fall back hard on the soft pillow behind him.

Five days.

It had been five days since he had been locked in his room with nothing to do.

After being found wandering the rainy streets, searching for something which, at the time, he had felt an important need to find, the white-eyed prodigy had been carried back to the Hyuga compound; unconscious. Lady Tsunade had quickly been called in to tend to the feverish boy. Upon examining him, her immediate response had been to scold the so-called genius. She had lectured him for a good three hours, before ordering him to a week of bed rest; enlisting the aid of the clan Leader to post sentries at all possible exits, in order to ensure her command was carried out. After only the first day, Neji had, inevitably, attempted to escape. But to no avail.

On the second day, with his fever long since gone, Neji had felt good enough to resume his regular training regime. Unfortunately, Lady Tsunade's order had been specific; one week, and not a day less. As a result, when he attempted to argue his point as why he should be permitted to leave the Hyuga compound, Neji had instantly been shut down before he could even get two words in.

On the third day, cabin fever had started to set in. For the first time ever, Neji had begun to regret keeping his room so sparsely decorated. In just a few hours he had managed to count all the tiles on his ceiling, all the boards of his wooden floor, and all the books on his shelf. It wasn't until the fifth day when he found himself preforming an absurd number of push-ups -- reminding him of Lee and Gai's punishment challenges -- did Neji remember a small television set stored in his closet.

Pulling the twelve inch screen television out of it's box, Neji quickly set the unused entertainment device up on his desk and turned it on. Eager to find something to sooth his boredom, Neji shifted through the channels rapidly, searching for anything to watch. It took him a while, however, to find a program that neither irritated him, nor disgusted him with the sheer stupidity of some of it's characters and shallow plot lines. After scanning through brief snippets of mindless reality shows, which seemed to expose the decaying moral fabric of modern society, and comedies that used the same tired old jokes or resorted to idiotic vulgarities to get a cheap laugh, Neji eventually settled on a simple nature show about bowerbirds.

"The most notable characteristic of bowerbirds is their extraordinarily complex courtship and mating behavior." The voice over on the television stated, as Neji turned towards his small twin-sized bed and quickly sat down; pressing his back against the cold white wall behind him. "The male bird builds a bower to attract it's mates. Typically these bowers are made by placing sticks around a sapling in the form of a hut, or by constructing two walls of vertically placed sticks. Once the bower is build, the male bird then proceeds to decorating his new home with a variety of brightly colored objects he has collected. These objects, usually different among each species, may include hundreds of shells, leaves, flowers, feathers, stones, berries, and even discarded plastic items, coins, nails, rifle shells, or pieces of glass."

As he contemplated the stated facts about the bowerbird, Neji's eyes slowly began to wander around his immediate surroundings. And once more, he noted how sparsely decorated his room was.

Though it had never been much of a concern to him in the past, at the moment, Neji wondered if perhaps the lack of décor in his room said something about his character. While in the past a room had always been just a place to lay his head down when sleep became a necessity, Neji now wondered if perhaps he had neglected to fully consider the importance of creating a comfortable environment.

Watching as the bowerbird on the television decorated and redecorated his small home, as the voice over explained how the appearance could perhaps be a representation of the bird's personality, the Hyuga wondered if that meant his own personality was dry and expressionless; just like his room. As he continued watching, whether out of boredom or for some other reason, curiously Neji allowed himself to create a comparison of the jet-blue bird featured on the screen, and himself.

"Several studies of different species have shown that colors of decorations the male bird uses on its bower match the preferences of the female it wishes to attract." The voice over continued.

"Hn." Neji furrowed his brow as he considered the last statement; his eyes unconsciously drifting over toward the far corner of his desk. There, discretely tucked behind the recently placed television, was the purchase he had made five days earlier. The same purchase that had ended with him soaked to the bone -- already burning up in a high fever -- as he ran through the stormy streets of Konoha's shopping district, searching for the contents of the box now hidden behind his television.

"Knock, knock!" A familiar voice called out from behind his door as a gentle tapping resonated in the Hyuga's room. "Can I come in?" The girl on the other side asked.

"Hn." Neji grunted; knowing the kunoichi would easily understand his silent approval.

"Hi Neji." Tenten's smiling face poked through the door as she slowly stepped into the room.

"Hello." He greeted; turning the television off as he stood to greet his new guest.

"So how are you holding up?" She teasingly asked; a wicked twinkle in her eyes telling Neji the kunoichi probably knew all too well just how bored he'd been for the past five days.

"I see you're doing better." Neji calmly replied; refusing to give in to her teasing.

"Much." Her smile widened as Tenten slowly approached the shinobi's bed; letting herself fall back into the firm mattress and sat down cross-legged, as Neji followed her graceful frame with his ever watchful eyes. "Thanks for taking care of me." She added; referring to the two days he had spent at the kunoichi's apartment, nursing her back to healthy. "Sorry I couldn't do the same." She smiled wearily. "Lady Tsunade had me helping Shizune out with paperwork to keep me from overexerting myself with training," the girl explained.

"Hn." Neji nodded understandingly; knowing the Hokage was familiar enough with both of their personalities to realize that at soon as they got better they would go back to their usual overly-intense training.

"So..." a sneaky smile crept slowly onto the kunoichi's face.

"Hn?" Neji's left brow rose in curiosity as he wondered what the kunoichi was thinking.

"What'd you get?" Tenten's smile beamed brightly as she excitedly bounced up and down on the mattress.

"What do you mean?" Neji inquired.

"Oh come on!" The kunoichi pouted; leaning forward with her hands pressed to either side of her crossed legs, as she stopped her eager bouncing. "They found you outside _that_ store! You had to have gotten something good." She grinned; eagerly resuming her earlier bouncing.

"Hn." The Hyuga smirked, before slowly walking over toward his desk and grabbing hold of the box tucked behind his television. "Here." He handed the bun-haired girl his newly acquired purchase.

"Oooo." Tenten's eyes grew as her entire face brightened upon opening the box she'd just been handed. "Shiny." She beamed; pulling out a ten-inch silver dagger and expertly spinning it in her hand.

"Hn." A small smile slowly spread upon the Hyuga's face as an amusing thought about birds and shiny decorations suddenly entered his head...

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**A/N** : ehehe... I hope you all understood the ending. If not, refer back to the last TV voice over about bowerbirds collecting objects according to the female bird's preference.

okay now it's nearly 5am, i'm off to bed!

Oh but before I go... Tenten's birthday is coming up, I need an idea for a fic!


	83. A Side Unseen

**A/N: **I thought about it for months and finally yesterday it hit me. It's a day late, and a bit short, but still over my 1K-word minimum (and if anyone complains I swear to you I'll never write again! Seriously, I don't ask for reviews, but I most definitely do not want to read complaints.) Anyway... Well it's a quick little one-shot hope you all enjoy it!

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**

* * *

**_

**A SIDE UNSEEN**

**_

* * *

_**

"_What would you like for your birthday?"_

"_I want to see a side of you I've never seen..."_

It had been a simple enough question, meant to help assist the Hyuga prodigy on what to get his female teammate. For months, he had pondered on what to get the weapon's mistress for the 18th anniversary of her birth, and in the end Neji had been unable to come up with a single idea. And so, he had reluctantly given up on finding the right gift himself and instead directly asked Tenten what she would want. Her response, however, had not been what the Hyuga had expected.

To show her a side of him she had never seen before...

The request in itself was unusual, but as he considered it, Neji realized it was not only a difficult task, it quite possibly might be an altogether impossible request.

From the time of their days in the academy as children, until currently, in their early adulthood, he and Tenten had shared practically every joy and sorrow, every triumph and failure, every fortune and hardship that could possibly befall them. There was nothing the two sparring partners had not experienced together. So how, then, was Neji supposed to show the bun-haired kunoichi a side of him that she did not know?

Did a side of him she didn't know even exist?

"What is she expecting?!" Neji groaned through clenched teeth, as he agitatedly paced the length of his bedroom, before quickly turning and making his way toward the main gates of the Hyuga compound.

He didn't get it. What was with that response? Was there some meaning behind the kunoichi's words? If so, what was it she wanted from him?

"Oi!" A familiar voice broke the Hyuga's thoughts, quickly bringing him back to reality as he found himself face to face with one of his cousin Hinata's teammates. "You just gonna stand there blocking the way, or are you planning on moving any time soon?" Kiba smacked his gums loudly, as if to indicate he couldn't care less about the response.

"Hinata-sama is out." Neji responded, choosing to ignore the younger shinobi's blatant attempt to pester him.

It had long since been obvious to Neji that the younger man disliked him. Though he never outwardly reproached him, Neji was aware that Kiba had always held a grudge against him for how he had treated Hinata during the first chunnin exams. Though most of his peers had put those unpleasant moments of their past aside, the Inuzuka seemed to be the only one who still harbored anger over it. For his part, Neji understood quite well where the younger shinobi was coming from; and though it irritated him to have the younger man speak so disrespectfully towards him, Neji generally ignored it.

"If there is something you required," Neji -- never one to forget his manners-- began offering his assistance.

"Nah," Kiba shook his head; momentarily relaxing his perviously heated posture. "I came to loan this to Hinata." He waved a pamphlet-sized book in his clawed hand.

Glancing at the thin book in the other boy's hand, Neji quirked his brow as his eyes landed on the title: Poetic Verse. A book of poetry.

For an instant, before he stopped himself, a small smirk began spreading across the Hyuga's face.

Though he valued all literature greatly, poetry was a genre Neji had, early on, found a particular fondness for. While many saw poetry as a waste of time, best left to day-dreaming girls and children's playgrounds, to the Hyuga prodigy it was a fascinating weaving of the written word. The ability to invoke an emotion or implant an image into the mind of the reader with skill and fluidity while at the same time appearing simple and fresh; choosing the precise words, never more never less... that, to Neji was the true mark of an intellectual scholar. And to partake in the enjoyment of reading poetry marked both a sharp and tranquil mind. As such, it was of great amusement and surprise to see someone who personified all things contrary, holding a book of poetry. A book that apparently, given the worn out condition of the cover and faded lettering, had been read many times in the past. It was odd to see Kiba, whom Neji never imaged to be the reading type (much less a poetry reader), having such an unexpected of side to him.

"Oi!" The younger man heatedly glared at Neji. "Somehow it feels like I can hear exactly what you're thinking and it's pissing me off!" Kiba growled. "Just tell Hinata I came by." He barked, before quickly turning on his heels and walking away from the Hyuga compound.

And just then, as he watched the flustered boy heatedly walk away, it hit Neji. There _was_ a side of him no one knew!

.:.:.:.:.:.

"Well?" The bun-haired girl waited patiently against a tree, as her white-eyed teammate silently released her hand, after having guided her through the forest with her eyes closed. "Can I open them now?"

"Almost." Neji quietly replied; a hint of nervousness in his voice that peeked the girl's curiosity. But still, she remained as instructed; waiting for him to tell her when she could open her eyes again. "Ahem." Tenten heard him clear his throat, as she sensed Neji move in front of her; his form blocking the sun's light as he stood looming over her.

"Now?" She anxiously questioned. Her curiosity was getting to her, but still she continued to resist the temptation to open her eyes. She trusted him, after all.

"Tenten..." He began, in a deep and somber tone.

"From infancy, to the here and now

We've been as one, inseparable.

Every triumph and failure,

Every sorrow and joy,

We've lived them together

Even when far apart.

Unblinded by duty

Our bond is unbroken.

In the years that we've grown,

So little escapes

From this world

That we share.

Through hardships we've struggled

And fortunes we've shared.

We've strengthen our weakness

And bonded our souls.

Long have we vowed, unyielding

Trust in our hearts.

And now as I stand

In your presence, alone

An urge overcomes me

To tell you in verse

What so long, my heart

has hidden, unknown."

Taking a deep breath to steady his slightly trembling voice, Neji slowly moved closer toward the kunoichi. "Tenten." He called out to her softly. Taking his strong hands and cupping her face between tem, Neji slowly tilted the kunoichi's face upward.

Tenten could feel his breath on her face as he inched closer and closer to her. "Neji..." She timidly whispered; the temptation to open her eyes once more overcoming her, but again she resisted.

"I love you." His voice came out as a tiny, yet longing whisper, before suddenly Tenten felt the Hyuga's warm lips engulf hers in a slow and tender kiss.

His lips were gentle and loving as they pressed softly against hers; devouring her as his emotions poured out of him. Tenten's mind began clouding; her knees becoming weak as their kiss became more and more passionate. Slowly, she fell into his embrace; feeling herself melting into him. And then, after what seemed like a blissful eternity, the two sparring partners at last breathlessly parted.

"Ne-" Tenten softly began; wondering what had overcome her usually stoic training partner as she opened her eyes for the first time to face his soft lavender eyes.

"Happy Birthday Tenten." Neji warmly smiled with deep and tender emotion hidden in his gaze.

"Thank you Neji." She smiled back. And she truly was deeply grateful to have witnessed a side of him she'd always known, but never seen before.

_**

* * *

  
**_**THE END****_  


* * *

_**

**A/N**: I love Kiba! Often I use him as a trigger for Neji, usually getting him in some sort of trouble (though he's pretty good at getting out of it unscathed), so this time I decided to give him a chance to help Neji out... even if unknowingly.

Well, hope you guys liked it. Sorry for the wait... unfortunately (for you guys), I'm on vacation in Mexico for the next two months, so... probably won't be updating very much... but who knows, last time I was here I wrote a whole story (A NEW LEAF) so... you never know.

Oh! and for the poem, yes it's mine... I did it quickly... not the greatest, but I'm content with it XD.


	84. The Set Up

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto!

**A/N**: My first semi-Collab... thanks very much to fmorgana who helped me finish this piece and came up with some great lines ;) You are the best! *_bows to fmo's awesome walling powers_*

Warnings:

(1)I had a little problem with the voice in this one (POV), I couldn't quite make it stick to just one... I guess this happens when you write a story out piece by piece, sometimes I just feel like I'm in different heads...but it still came out fine so I'm not gonna change it.

(2) Speaking of voice, Kiba has one instant of foul language here, so just be prepared for it.

(3) And lately, slight (very very slight) InoChou, ShikaTema, NaruSaku, and KibaHina implied (oooo, all my favorite pairings in one oneshot, awesome! ;p)

_**

* * *

  
**_**THE SET UP****  
**

_

* * *

_

"Are you two dating?" the blond kunoichi suddenly asked the weapons mistress as she and her white-eyed sparring partner sat down across from her in the large room of the crowded restaurant where their group of friends had agreed to meet up for their monthly lunch.

"No," Tenten quickly, but calmly, replied.

She hoped her quickness did not come off the wrong way, but the sudden question had caught her by surprise and she had not given herself time to think. It was probably a good thing, however, since she was certain it would have stung a lot more than it already did, if the response had come from him and not her.

"We're not," she turned to Neji as he slowly nodded his agreement, while he helped the bun-haired kunoichi into her seat before taking the chair directly next to her.

"Really?" Ino sighed deeply. "That's a shame," she added, looking back and forth between the two teammates. "You two look good together."

"..." Tenten was unsure of how to reply to that. "Thank you?" she nervously answered; though it came out more like a question than any anything else.

"Plus you two seem to get along pretty well," the blond continued; apparently not yet noticing the uncomfortable situation it was causing her bun-haired friend.

"Of course," Tenten calmly replied. "We are sparring partners after all."

"Hmm." Ino furrowed her brow as she concentrated on the pair. "Why don't you two date?" she bluntly asked, before turning to focus on the Hyuga. "Don't you think Tenten's cute?"

"..." Neji's left brow rose inquisitively as he opened his mouth, as if he were going to reply, but then he thought better of it and turned back to the conversation he'd been having with Naruto.

"Is there a purpose to these questions?" Tenten asked; attempting to keep the tremor from her voice as she tried not to think about what Neji had been about to say and why he decided not to say anything.

"Oh, no real purpose," Ino shrugged.

"She's in a match-making mood," the pink-haired medic sitting besides the blond replied.

"Oh?" Tenten turned back toward Ino curiously. "I thought you gave that up after you started dating that Jounin. Did you two break up again?"

"Huh?" The blond kunoichi stared back blankly; feigning innocence. "I don't know what you two are talking about," she turned away, looking indignant. "And for your information, we did not break up... he's on a mission!"

"Oh, so you're bored then?" Tenten guessed. And from the brief look of surprise on the blond's face, she was certain she'd hit a bulls eye. "Okay, fine. But why the interest in _my_ love life? Don't you usually mess with Sakura?"

"Yeah but her love life is a disaster, even _I _can't fix," Ino instantly replied.

"HEY!" the pink-haired kunoichi anxiously protested.

"Well it's true," Ino nodded confidently, before turning toward the white-eyed heiress sitting next to her two teammates, at the furthest end of the table. "And then there's Hinata... but she's way too shy. I feel like I'm picking on a helpless kitten..." she quietly said the last part. Apparently even Ino knew some restraint. "So that leaves you," she brightened; smiling devilishly as she eyed the weapons mistress.

"What about these guys?" Tenten gestured down the table at the rest of their group, as the boys continued on in their own conversations, barely listening to the girl talk going on at that end of the table.

"Oh?!" Ino's smile widened further as she looked over at the rest of their party. "You're right!" she excitedly exclaimed. "Well Lee's out of the question, because I know you think of him as a little brother, and Naruto's part of the mess in Sakura's love life.... oh what about Shikamaru!"

"Huh?" the lazy ninja, sitting three chairs down from them, turned to face the girls upon hearing his name yelled out.

"He's smart. I know you like smart," Ino continued; ignoring the questioning look of her lazy teammate. "Plus he's not too bad to look at, and despite his laziness, he works hard when it counts."

"Ah...ok," Tenten wearily smiled; wondering what the younger girl was thinking.

"Oh come on, he's a good match. You two get along well too," Ino insisted; continuing to ignore the looks now coming from the rest of the table.

"Yeah..." the bun-haired girl nervously smiled at the lazy Nara as the pieces finally began to connect and she realized the blond had mistaken Tenten's suggestion to meddle in the love life of one of the guys, as an invitation to match her up with one of them. "But I think one beating from Temari is enough for me," she cheekily replied; amused at the sudden color that rose on the lazy genius's face as she said that.

"Oh that's true..." Ino nodded. "Well what about Chouji? He's not your stereotypical bishie, but he's just about the sweetest guy in the world," she stated matter-of-factly, before listing off all of the Akimichi boy's good qualities; altogether missing the mournful longing look that quickly jetted across the husky shinobi's face. A look Tenten recognized all too well, having for a long time shared the same type of unrequited emotion that Ino's chubby teammate obviously held for the blond. "I'm sure he'd be the type to cherish a girl," Ino concluded.

"I'm sure he would." Tenten smiled knowingly at the Akimichi as he bashfully turned away, focusing his attention on the plate of food in front of him to prevent his emotions from fully showing on his face.

"Oi!" A yell further down the table loudly called out. "What about me?" the owner of the voice smirked widely.

"What about you?" Ino indifferently replied.

"Well if you're gonna pass out compliments, I wouldn't mind hearing a few!" Kiba grinned wolfishly.

"I'm not handing out compliments," the blond protested. "I'm looking for a guy for Tenten," she paused a moment; a devilish thought creeping into her mind. "Are you interested?" Ino asked; curiously observing the couple in front of her out of the corner of her eye. "I've got two movie tickets for later tonight, you could take her to dinner and a movie!" she quickly added as incentive; pulling out the pair of tickets she had hoped to share with her Jounin boyfriend before discovering he would be away on a mission.

"Huh?" Kiba -- being on the same side of the table -- leaned forward to get a better look at the bun-haired kunoichi. "Sure, who wouldn't be? Tenten's a total cutie!" the younger shinobi grinned widely as he gave Tenten a flirtatious wink; ignoring the subtle, yet deadly glare aimed at him from the shinobi sitting besides her. A look that did not go unnoticed by most of the guys at the table, but which the three other girls -- sitting on the opposite side of the Hyuga-- were unable to see. "So what about my accolades?" Kiba turned back to ask the blond.

"Uh?" Ino stared questioningly before realizing what he meant. "Oh. Well..." she turned to face the girl in front of her. "He's energetic... affectionate, cheerful, loyal.... um... playful..."

"You're complimenting a dog aren't you?" Kiba interrupted the blond in an unusually serious tone.

"Ah... yeah..." Ino meekly admitted.

"Hmph!" the boy grunted. "I'll take it," he shrugged, returning his attention back to the bun-haired kunoichi. "So Tenten, you wouldn't mind going to the movies with me, right?" Kiba flirtatiously asked her; his grin growing larger at seeing a faint crimson spread across the older kunoichi's face.

"Um..." Tenten hesitantly smiled; chewing her lower lip nervously as she held the Inuzuka's piercing gaze. "Well..."

"Oh come on!" Kiba encouragingly smiled. "I'm sure I'm more fun than a cold, stiff, stick in the mud!" he subtly eyed the Hyuga as he stated that last part. "What do you say?" he coaxed her. "You're not gonna reject me in front of everyone are you? That'd hurt my feelings you know." The fang-faced boy playfully pouted.

"Okay." Tenten defeatedly nodded, giving in to the younger boy's pleading expression.

"Awesome!" Kiba smiled triumphantly, before rising to his feet and leaning clear across the table to grab the tickets Ino held in her hand. "I promise you I'll make it an evening you'll never forget," he winked at the bun-haired kunoichi before returning to his seat; none too subtly bumping into the Hyuga as he did so

"You know," Ino, who definitely noticed the fury burning deep inside the usually stoic Hyuga's eyes, smiled wickedly as she turned to face Tenten. "Now that I think about it, you two might be better suited for each other than I original imagined," she stated, while discreetly observing the white-eyed prodigy out of the corner of her eye. "You have very similar personalities," she pointed out. "And though it's usually 'opposites attract', I suppose having similar characteristics could work too," she decided; slowly counting off the many reasons why Kiba would be a good match for the bun-haired kunoichi, all the while keeping a very close eye on the one man who she was certain (though he would never admit it aloud), would be less than thrilled with the idea.

The remainder of the group merely nodded at the blond kunoichi's rambles, as they went about eating their meals and drifting in and out of random conversations until the end of their lunch hour when everyone had to go back to the business of daily chores and group training. As the last few members of their party quickly said their goodbyes and promised to meet up again soon, Tenten slowly walked over to the smirking Inuzuka – who had spent most of the remainder of their lunch shamelessly flirting with the older kunoichi – and quickly agreed on a time for him to pick her up at her house.

"I'll see you later than," Kiba gave the bun-haired girl another flirty wink, before watching her disappear through the restaurant door, headed for the Hokage officer where she still had some paper work to fill out before she could go home and get ready for their date.

"Hn," a grunt behind the Inuzuka quickly alerted him to the fact that he was not the last one left of their group; despite the fact that the small room the party of eleven had reserved had appeared to be empty when he and Tenten had made the final arrangements to their movie date.

"What's up?" Kiba cheerfully turned to face the stoic man he had anticipated would at some point be waiting in the shadows to address him.

"What are your intentions?" Neji bluntly inquired of the younger man.

"Wow," Kiba momentarily stared at the older shinobi in stunned silence. "That was a lot more direct than I expected," he quietly - though still loud enough for the Hyuga to have heard - mused to himself as he pensively scratched the end of his chin. "Well, I'm not really sure it's any of your business," he playfully smiled as he replied to the older man; though it was quite evident from his feral eyes that the younger man was taunting the white-eyed shinobi.

"If you are not serious about pursuing a relationship and are only intending to toy with-"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Kiba immediately interrupted the quickly enraging Hyuga as the older shinobi swiftly and heatedly began approaching him. "I don't know what kind of guy you think I am, but I can assure you, I aint the type who plays with a girls feelings!" Kiba heatedly protested against the Hyuga's insinuations. "Unlike you," he added, with a clear expression of disgusted on his face.

"What is that supposed to imply?" Neji defensively replied; glaring at the younger man with increased rage.

"I aint implying anything," Kiba spat back. "I'm saying it clearly and directly!" He returned the older man's glare with equal fury in his piercing eyes. "Just cos you got her around now, don't go thinking you can abuse her devotion."

"I do not know what you are talking about," Neji sternly denied; turning away from the other man to avoid him discovering the look of shock clearly etched upon his face, at being confronted with such a truth.

"Yeah, whatever," Kiba disbelievingly shrugged; knowing the truth regardless of how much the older shinobi tried to deny it. "All I know," he began as he calmly walked over toward the Hyuga, "is that you're a fool if you think you're the only one whose noticed how beautiful she is."

"Hn?" Neji swiftly turned to face the younger man; panic and despair subtly coloring his usually expressionless features, as he looked questioningly at the feral-eyed man.

"She ain't gonna wait around for you forever, " Kiba bluntly stated, as he closed the small remaining distance between the two of them, and slapped his hand down hard against the Hyuga's chest. "So you better stop fucking* around and do something," he added, before turning to walk away.

As he watched the younger man leave, his hand pressed tightly against the spot where he had been hit, Neji realized he had been left with two thin strips of paper on his chest. "What is the meaning of this?" he quickly demanded, holding up the movie tickets Kiba had early taken from the blond kunoichi.

"Uh?" Kiba turned as he reached the threshold of the small room their party had occupied. "Oh!" he smiled knowingly. "Well, I did promise her an evening she'd never forget, didn't I?" he playfully smirked; reveling in the fact that _he_ had stumped the great Hyuga Neji. "Besides," his gaze softened as he looked out the nearby window where his team was still waiting for him to go train with them. "Tenten's cute and all," Kiba smirked once more upon noting the fire build up one more in the Hyuga's white-eyed. "But I prefer the quiet, shy type..." And with those parting words, the fang-faced shinobi disappeared through the threshold, and into the busy Konoha streets, quietly mutter the words, "that Ino sure is a sly one, maybe she can help..." leaving behind one very confused, be relieved, prodigy and two tickets to a movie that could very well shake the foundations a long held, secret love between two close sparring partners.

* * *

  
THE END  


* * *

**A/N**: I know it's been a while (again) since I've updated, but I hope you all liked the story ;)

I just wanted to let you all know that it may be a while before I update again since I just started another Multi-chapter story titled HEART OF DECEPTION, staring this collection's very own KOUDO (refer to chapters 59-61). It's probably gonna take a while to complete that one, so please lend your support and go read it, I'm sure it's gonna be a lot of fun (it _is_ the loveable KOUDO after all ;p)

**Footnote:**

* I was actually going to use the world "Playing" instead of "the F word" but I thought it didn't appropriately convey the voice I gave Kiba in this fic, so I switched it... my apologies if it offends anyone's sensibilities, I don't often use curse words in my writing, and in general, I don't curse in real life, but it just made sense here... and I had to be true to the personality that I envisioned for Kiba's character in this fic (which was a bit similar to Ijinu's... I guess I just miss Ijinu ;p), I hope no one minds too much.


	85. Fearful Confrontation

******Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

* * *

**  
FEARFUL CONFRONTATION**

**

* * *

  
**

"Ready?" Neji expectantly turned to the bun-haired kunoichi sitting nervously on his bed in a tiny red dress and black heels.

"No," she worriedly shook her head in response; curled locks of brown hair bouncing frantically across her face as she fidgeted nervously on the mattress.

Of course he already knew she wasn't ready. He could tell just by the terrified look on her face that the kunoichi desperately wanted to avoid what was about to happen. At the same time he also knew she _did_ want to do it; that was why she was there, after all.

"I'm scared," she timidly admitted in a tiny whisper.

"..." he wasn't sure what to say to that. Or course it was obvious she was nervous, worried even, but scared... that was not something he had ever heard her admit to.

"I..." Tenten hesitantly began. "It's just..." nervously chewing her lower lip, the kunoichi brushed back a loose curl and tucked it carefully behind her right ear. "Maybe we should just keep it a secret like you wanted to," she whisperingly offered; hopeful that he would accept that idea. "It'd be safer that way," she added; gently nodding her head up and down as if she were agreeing with herself, or perhaps attempting to convince herself.

"I don't want to hide you," Neji quickly responded.

He had already considered the possibility of keeping their relationship secret, after all, what need did the rest of the world have to be informed of what was otherwise a private affair? It's not that it mattered to him what others might think of their relationship. True, he wasn't unaware that, given their differing social status, a romantic relationship between the two sparring partners might cause some controversy, but he was more than willing to face anything and anyone that opposed them. Still, it was nobody's business but their own. For that reason, Neji had originally thought that it would be best if they keep their love to themselves. However, the more he considered the possibility the more he wondered if perhaps it would seem as if he were ashamed of his relationship to the weapons mistress. And nothing could be further from the truth. And as he continued to contemplate the idea, he came to the conclusion that was an inevitability that their relationship would one day surface, so ultimately he decided it would be best not to hide, or even give the appearance that they were hiding, their relationship.

"I don't want to hide either, but..."

"There is nothing to be scared of," Neji calmly stated as he swiftly crossed the small distance of his room to sit down next to the kunoichi. Taking her hand in his, he gently squeezed it in an attempt to reassure her.

"But..." Tenten worriedly looked up at him; fear painfully coloring her usually cheerful expression.

"Everything will be fine," he assured her; squeezing her hand once more as he tired his best to smile reassuringly.

"If it were anyone else..." Tenten began; letting the remainder of her statement hang in the air. She knew he understood what she meant without her needing to say it.

And he did.

"But them..." she trailed off again.

"You worry needlessly," Neji gently replied.

Deep down, however, he too had to admit the prospect that their relationship might be opposed in this one particular instance, also unnerved him. Though he did believe what he said, the possibility – however remote – unsettled him.

"It's just... what would happen if they disapproved?" Tenten at last voiced their shared concern.

"They will not," he again attempted to assure the kunoichi.

"How can you be so sure?" she worriedly questioned; still unconvinced by his assurances.

"I just know," he asserted; attempting to sound as confident as could.

"But what if..."

"They will accept it," Neji uncharacteristically interrupted. He new he needed to stop her before her nerves got the better of them both. At the rate things were going, they would likely talk themselves out of it, and they had already made up their minds.

"But..." Tenten hesitantly began, but he stopped her once more.

Cupping her chin in his hand, Neji turned the kunoichi to face him. "Trust me," he tenderly whispered, as he stared deep into her eyes. "Everything will be fine," he assured her, before softly planting a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Okay," she sighed, smiling as she allowed herself to relax into his chest. "Lets do this!" She nodded confidently before the pair rose to their feet and headed out.

It had been nail-bitingly nerve-wrecking, but in the end, it had been simpler than that had previously anticipated. In retrospect, Neji wondered what they had been worried about in the first place, as he watched the two fashion-challenged grown men sobbing like little children as they hugged the bun-haired kunoichi tightly and loudly proclaimed the "youthfulness" of their "blossoming love" to the crowded restaurant where the four of them had agreed to meet so that Neji and Tenten could inform the greener half of their team that they were in love.

* * *

**THE END**

**

* * *

**

**A/N: ** hahahah ;p

This story just came to me, so I had to write it ;p. It's about a hundred words shy of my 1K min. word limit, but I don't want to hear any complaints!

thanks for fmorgana for uploading this for me while i'm treasure hunting in the Caribbean Sea! (GO CHECK OUT NEJITEN MONTH ON DEVIANTART!!!)


	86. The Bracelet

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – Gigi-FenixPhoenix on dA, who won NEJITENPLZ's Winter Contest. Sorry for the delay.

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
THE BRACELET**_**  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Tenten. Come on, talk to us... Tenten!" A desperate sounding voice on the other side of the solid oak door called out to the bun-haired kunoichi. Hearing some quiet chatter behind her blond friend, Tenten could only imagine that it meant the rest of their friends were also gathered outside her bedroom door.

How Ino and the rest of them had gotten into her house was a mystery to her. Tenten was certain she had locked and booby trapped all her doors and windows. And as far as she knew, the only ones who could get passed her security system were the members of her team.

"Please Tenten-san, we are worried for you," the pleading voice of the mini-green beast answered the kunoichi's unasked question.

"Lee..." Tenten moaned into the pillow beneath her, silently admonishing herself for not having suspected him.

Of course he would come. Lee was the type of person who just could not help but care. He was all heart, and often followed his impulses without thinking. Lee would never break into her house, or try to force her to talk, unless he felt the need to. Tenten knew this. And so she could not really feel angry at him. Or at the rest of her friends, whom she knew only had her best interests at heart. But at the moment Tenten really did not want to see anyone.

Her heart was broken.

All she wanted was time to herself, so that she could mend her shattered heart. A heart that felt as if it no longer wished to beat. But it was ridiculous. How could a heart break simply because of an object? Yet an object was exactly the reason why she felt so horribly hollow.

A bracelet.

Her mother's bracelet to be exact. A bracelet which had been the first gift Tenten's father had ever given her mother when they started dating. The woman's most prized possession. It was one of the few things Tenten had of her mother; the only thing she had of her father, whom had died before the bun-haired girl was born. It was the only thing that connected the weapons mistress to both of her parents...

And she had lost it...

"I never should have taken it with me," the bun-haired girl mournfully sighed, staring at the tan lines on her wrist, where the bracelet had covered her skin; made darker by Team Gai's recent escort mission to a small beach resort on the coast of Fire Country.

Ever since her mother died when she was eight, Tenten had never once taken the bracelet off. Her mother had given it to the kunoichi in her final days, as a reminder that even though she would be left an orphan, both of her parents would always live on in her heart.

It was comforting.

Tenten treasured that bracelet with all of her heart. Her mother had once told her that it was a love bracelet. One that would protect her and bring her love. And Tenten had believed her because the bracelet was her connection to her parents; to their love. She had felt safe when she had it on; she felt loved.

But now it was gone.

"Waaaah!" Tenten buried her head into the pillow, crying her heart out as she berated herself for being so careless. "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

She hated feeling helpless, but at the moment she couldn't help it. Couldn't help the tears that kept running down her cheeks for the passed five days, since her team's return to the village; since she realized somewhere along the way her bracelet had fallen off.

It had upset her greatly to discover this, but Tenten had tried to move on. Tried to pretend that it was okay. But she could not fool anyone. Her friends immediately noticed something was wrong. Even Gai, who hardly ever gave his team days off from training, sent her home and told her to rest for a while. It was then, when she was left alone in her house, that Tenten finally cracked. A lifetimes worth of tears and loneliness overwhelmed her. For three days she didn't come out of her house. Didn't answer her phone, didn't open the door, didn't do anything.

And that's why her friends were now standing outside her bedroom door, calling out to her in worried agitation.

"Move," an all-too familiar baritone voice ordered from outside her hallway, quickly sending the kunoichi's heart fluttering.

She didn't want to see him. Or more precisely, didn't want him to see her. For the last few days, as the endless calls and visits came to her, Tenten had been grateful for one thing... that at least Neji hadn't shown up. Though it had also hurt her a little to think he didn't care like her other friends, it had also been a relief. He was the only one whom she felt uneasy showing any weakness to. And though she was aware that showing emotion wasn't a weakness, it still made her apprehensive to have Neji see her crying.

"Tenten," the Hyuga's voice bellowed from the other side of the door in a commanding tone.

"Please Neji, I just-" Tenten began.

"Open the door," Neji ordered, cutting her off before she could ask to be left alone.

She was tempted to tell him to go away, but Neji was one of the few people Tenten just couldn't say no to. Slowly, she crept out of bed and made her way to the sturdy oak door; silently contemplating whether it could hold up against Neji's brute strength.

"Probably not," she mumbled to herself, remembering all the other doors her sparring partner had already destroyed. (1) "Haah." Tenten exhaled deeply before reaching out to grab hold of the doorknob. "Okay, what is i-" The kunoichi stopped mid-sentence, as she came face to face with a horribly sun-burned Hyuga. "What..." Words failed her as she stared incomprehensibly at the man standing before her.

"Here." Neji stretched his arm out to her and gently placed his sand-covered fist out for the kunoichi to accept what he held clenched in in his hand.

Slowly reaching out to see what he wanted to give her, Tenten unabashedly continued to stare at the peculiar appearance of her sparring partner before feeling a light-weight metal drop into her extended hand. "Haa!" she gasped. More tears slowly began running down her cheeks as she looked down at her hand. But this time they weren't tears of sorrow and heartbreak, they were tears of joy...

Sitting in the palm of her hand, covered in tiny grains of sand, was her mother's bracelet.

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

**A/N**: In case there is someone out there who doesn't get this, Neji was gone, and returned sun-burned and covered in sand because he spent the last few days at the beach resort where Team Gai had it's last mission, searching for Tenten's bracelet. The bracelet her mother told her would bring her love. Which it obviously did :D. hope that was clear even without my explanation here but if not, I hope this cleared it up. :D

(1) My favorite rivalry... Neji vs the door... sadly the door never wins :(

* * *

**IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS**:

1. I'm going on a 3-month Hiatus (cos I need to study) but I'll continue with my stories when I get back.

2. Just a NOTE on ANONOYMOUS REVIEWS... I appreciate them, just as much as I appreciate signed reviews, but seriously if you're going to ask me a question and expect an answer, please SIGN IN... I can't always find people, and it's not really fair to make me do so. So if you actually want an answer, give me a place where I can reply to. Thanks.


	87. Risk

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: I've have the idea in my head since I was given the prompts, but I just couldn't seem to get it started, and I didn't want to make it sucky. I wanted it to be good. It's a little on the short side, but I made it over my one-thousand world limit so it's NOT a drabble!

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!**_

_**DEDICATION**_ – to sapphireluna who won the NEJITENPLZ Winter Contest. Sorry for the LONG delay. I hope you like it. ;) And I owe you a picture of the last scene for taking so long (though it might be a while before I can draw it, but its coming!)

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
RISK**_**  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

In every choice, there is risk. Risk that the decision made could be the wrong one. Risk that the cost initially perceived, may be far greater than anticipated. Risk that the benefit to be reaped, is less than what was originally thought. Risk of miscalculation. Risk of loss. Risk of failure...

In the shinobi world, the risk is greater still.

To a shinobi, battling between life and death is an ever present risk. Children are taught early on the importance of risk assessment and the value of employing strategic thinking in all of life's daily activities. In the academy, strategy courses are the most important lessons a student learns. Ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, are all requisite in order to graduate from the academy and go on to become a shinobi. But it's the capacity to think strategically, the ability to be capable of assessing a situation with a calm and rational mind, that marks a true shinobi. And the better one is at thinking strategically, the better one's chances are at surviving the dangerous life of a shinobi.

"You're stalling." Tenten expectantly waited for the Hyuga's response as she continued to challengingly stare at him, just as she'd been doing for the past twenty minutes.

There was no way out, and he knew it. And she knew it. They all knew it.

No matter how much of a proclaimed genius he was, even Neji couldn't come up with any plan of action that could change the outcome at this point. The consequences had been determined long before this moment, he merely needed to accept it.

"hahahaha." Tenten chuckled to herself. Of course she knew better.

This was THE Hyuga prodigy after all. He was hardly the type to give in without a fight, regardless of how hopeless the situation may appear. That was one of the things she liked about him actually. His stubbornness, in the face of defeat, gave his oft times too-good-to-be-true persona, a rarely seen human quality. A chink in his armor, a flaw in his princely perfection.

"Hn." The Hyuga grunted, glaring at her as if he thought her laughter had been meant at his expense. It had, in a way, but in reality, she was laughing more at the situation, than at him. It wasn't often, after all, that the Hyuga made such a determined attempt at winning a board game; or that he would willingly accept to participate in one of Team Gai's monthly bonding sessions, for that matter.

Looking down at the colorful game set up on the floor of their sensei's living room, surrounded by all four members of their team, waiting to see the final outcome of their game, Tenten readied herself to proclaim her victory of simulated world domination.(**1**) She, much like her teammates, had been eager to win the game from the very beginning when Gai had decided to make it a challenge. It wasn't that it was anything new; after all, Gai and Lee usually ended up turning their seemingly innocent bonding sessions into challenges of some sort, that usually resulted in extra training for the losers. This time, however, Tenten had offhandedly set the terms for the challenge. It had merely been a joke on her part, so it surprised her when everyone had accepted. And then somehow their usual simple, boring activity had turned more into a bet than a challenge.

The reward itself had not been particularly enticing, but the punishment for the losers was something none of the four of them had any desire to do; especially not the prideful Hyuga.

"You're completely surrounded, with only one piece left on the board, and it's your turn," Tenten calmly reminded her sparring partner, attempting to keep the gloating tone from her voice. "Is losing to me really such a bad thing?" she questioned the silently seething Hyuga.

"Hn." Neji turned his gaze away from the bun-haired kunoichi.

She could knew he actually didn't mind losing to her. Tenten had many times already defeated him during their sparring matches, and knew he wasn't the type who found it shameful to lose to a skilled opponent. Neji wasn't the arrogant little boy he used to be when they first became a team. He worked hard and tried his best to always be the victor, but on the occasions when he was not, he openly admired those who bested him, because he knew how much work it required to be a powerful adversary. Thus, the only logical conclusion as to why Neji had spent the last twenty minutes delaying the inevitable was because the idea of going through the punishment, must have truly terrified him.

"It's okay to be scared." Tenten placed her right hand over the Hyuga's clenched fist as he continued glaring at the game as if willing it to burst into flames; her left hand quickly making it's way to her mouth, trying to conceal the smile threatening to poke through her serious expression.

Neji stared sternly at the bun-haired kunoichi, his jaw tightening as he noticed the mirth in her eyes. His own expression clearly conveying the message that he was not amused. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

_**-:-:-:-:-**_

"Yes, yes I am." Tenten immediately broke into a fit of giggles next to her three best friends, as they watched the male members of her team parade through the busy shopping district.

She had known it would be hilarious and humiliating. But Tenten had never imagined, that, along with the outfit that the bet had required, the three testosterone driven members of team Gai would add to their own embarrassment.

"YOSH!" Lee and Gai shouted in unison, as they danced along Konoha's main street, right down the center of the village, pulling poor Neji along between them.

"What are they doing?" Sakura asked, as the four girls watched Lee, Neji, and Gai all put their right foot forward, then their left foot out.

"It's," Tenten began, trying to suppress the giggles she'd been having since the three of them had begun their little dance through the village at the main gates. "It's the-" she broke out into another giggle fit as she witnessed a floppy white ear fall limply, smacking the irritating Hyuga's face as he hopped three times. "The bunny hop!" Tenten finally let out, before bursting into yet another fit of hysterical laughter as she watched her three teammates, in fluffy bunny suits, hop in a straight line, towards the Hokage mansion.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

**PROMPTS**: "Team Gai, bunny costume, bets, and world domination."

**A/N**: It was so much fun to work with such ridiculously amusing prompts ;p hahaha!

Oh and in case anyone is wondering why Neji agreed to the bet... well, first, he wasn't going to be the only one who wasn't brave enough to go along with it; and second, the idea of seeing Tenten in a bunny suit clouded his judgement... too bad for him he lost too!

**(1)** RISK ;p... well it fit the prompt ;p


	88. Forever the first

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: 3 years! woooo! and I got over TWO THOUSAND REVIEWS! wooo! keep them coming people and i'll keep writing forever and ever and ever and ever... hahah ;p

_**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**FOREVER THE FIRST****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

Neji squinted from the light, as a stray ray of sunshine broke through his parted curtains. From the angle of the light, breaking through the shadows, the sun had apparently just come up. The Hyuga groaned as his groggy mind began waking to the new day. His muscles felt stiff and cramped as he tried to lift himself out of bed, only to find himself stopped by an unexpected weight on his right side. Turning to investigate what was keeping him pinned to the mattress, a gentle smile quickly spread upon the Hyuga's normally stoic features. Curled up against him, the petite bun-haired kunoichi nuzzled tightly against his side as she slept peacefully on his numb arm. Her hair was in complete disarray; scattered about the bed sheet and over half of her face.

"Tenten," Neji whispered softly, as he gently brushed her tousled brown locks away from her face.

Truthfully, he would have preferred not to wake the girl. Her calm sleeping face looked angelic in the dim morning light. Neji would have desired nothing more than to spend the entire morning laying there, watching the woman he love sleep. Unfortunately, the previous night, his uncle had informed him that he was require to meet with the Hyuga elders early in the morning. He dreaded the meeting.

From early childhood, Neji had known this day would come. It was tradition. Every Hyuga, when he or she came of age, was required to meet with the elders to swear their oath of alliance to the main house. It was their choice, of course; or so the tradition held. But in reality, there was no choice at all...

Upon entering the meeting with the elders, every branch member was asked whether they would vow to serve the main house until death. If they accepted, they were then considered a full member of the Hyuga clan. If they declined, they were forever banished from the clan. Banishment, however, did not mean they would lose their curse mark. In fact, it was far worse. A new seal was added to their forehead, disturbing their chakra, and effectively leaving them without the use of their byakugan. It was cruel, for those whose very identities resided in their eyes, to be stripped of their name and their strength. But it was considerably merciful, compared to the gruesome practice of removing the Hyuga's eyes, as was once the tradition.

As far as Neji knew, even after the archaic practice was put to rest, no one ever said no. Even his own father, who had abhorred the main house, had pled his loyalty to it. For Neji too, it was not a difficult choice. In fact, it was not a choice at all. Even if he had still felt resentment towards the main house as he had as a child, Neji still would pledged his loyalty.

The oath, however, wasn't the problem. For Neji, the problem was what came after. Along with swearing ones loyalty to serving the main house, the Hyuga who had come of age, was also required to pledge his duty to furthering the growth and future of the clan. That is to say, he or she was obliged to take on a spouse. Most Hyuga were given a year to decide on who it was they would marry. Shinobi, especially high ranked shinobi, were not given that option. Because the strength of the Hyuga clan was of utmost importance to the elders, the choice in spouse to those who were capable shinobi was always arranged by the elders, either in political moves or in some other manner that would benefit the clan. Knowing he was the genius of the clan, strongest in his generation, Neji was fearful of his prospects.

"mmm." A soft moan to his right, suddenly brought the Hyuga back to reality; forgetting his worries about meeting the elders as soon as his eyes met with the smiling face of his beautiful girlfriend, looking up at him.

"Good morning sleepy head," the bun-haired kunoichi quietly moaned as she rolled over onto her side and faced the white-eyed man.

"Good morning." He returned her smile earnestly; the weight on his mind lifting just from seeing her cheerful expression.

He loved her smile. Gentle and sweet, with just a tiny hint of mischief. But that was just like her. Tenten was a world of wonders. How many people, civilian or shinobi a like, would dare break into the Hyuga compound in the middle of the night? It wasn't as if the walls around the compound were small. Not to mention, there were guards at all corners, and the all-seeing Hyuga eyes could easily detect foreign chakras entering the estate. By all accounts, breaking into the Hyuga compound was an impossible feat. Yet somehow, the bun-haired kunoichi seemed to skillfully pull it off every year.

Neji's brow wrinkled in a frown as a question suddenly occurred to him. "Why did you not wake me?"

"huh?" Tenten stared up at him and tried to think through the haze of weariness as her waking mind tried processing the question.

She had snuck into his room in the middle of the night, as she always did on that day. But unlike previous years, when the kunoichi snuck in to wake her boyfriend from his slumber, for some reason this year the Hyuga prodigy had actually slept through the night.

"I tried," she replied, rising up to a seated position as she stretched her limbs and yawned. "But you looked so cute!" she cooed. "You had the most peaceful smile on your sleeping face, I just couldn't help but be enticed to curl up next to you and wait for morning to come, instead of waking you up."

"..." Neji quickly turned away to hide the crimson hue rapidly rising to color his usually pale complexion. "ack ack," he coughed to cover his embarrassment, quickly jumping to his feet as he headed towards his dresser and pulled out his traditional Hyuga robes.

"And where are you going in such a rush?" Tenten questioned, a teasing tone evident in her voice as she watched the Hyuga quickly dress himself.

"I have-" Neji began, but three loud knocks at his door interrupted him before he could tell Tenten about the meeting with the Elders.

"Neji." A familiar, yet unexpected, voice called out from the other side of the door.

"Uncle." Neji immediately stiffened as it suddenly dawned on him just how late it really was.

Gesturing for the kunoichi to remain where she was, and not make a sound, Neji quickly moved towards his door and calmly opened it to face his uncle.

"Good morning Uncle." Neji politely greeted the clan leader, keeping the door discretely closed so as to not alert his uncle to the presence of the kunoichi inside his room.

Never one for small talk, Hiashi merely nodded before continuing. "The meeting will begin in five minutes."

"Hai." Neji responded, turning one last time towards the inside of his room, before quickly stepping out into the hall to leave.

"Nephew." Hiashi abruptly stopped Neji before he could close his door completely. "She is coming too," the clan leader calmly informed the younger shinobi, before quickly taking off in the direction of the Elder's conference room.

"Huh?" Neji stood dumbfounded, staring questioningly at his uncles retreating back. "What?" he turned expectantly just as Tenten opened the mostly closed door, and stepped out into the hall to join him.

"Oh? Didn't I tell you?" Tenten waved a small envelope in front of him. "This time, I was invited!"

"What?" Neji repeated himself, as his mind failed to grasp what was going on. No one, outside of the Hyuga clan, was ever permitted to join in a meeting with the Elders.

"Hey Neji." There was a twinkle in her sharp brown eyes; the corners of her mouth curled in a smile. "Happy Birthday," her grin widen into a triumphant smirk. "I was first again!" the kunoichi happily cheered, before skipping off in the direction the Hyuga leader had walked off to moments earlier.

"Hn." Neji gave a small, contented smile and then followed after.

He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he knew one thing for certain, if no one, outside of the Hyuga clan, was ever permitted to join in a meeting with the Elders, and Tenten had been invited to join him in his meeting, that could only possibly mean one thing... Tenten would be the first to say it for a very long time...(**1**)

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

(1) as in the rest of their lives! :P if you don't get the whole "first to say it", go read my other Neji birthday fics! XP (chapters 1, 51, and 73 in my oneshot collection).

Anyway, if it wasn't clear, the Elders arranged marriage for Neji is TENTEN! They were probably impressed that she made it into the compound every year to be the first to wish him a happy b-day.

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEJI!**


	89. Naturally

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Nejitenplz on deviantart is holding a Songfic Festival this month (august) if anyone's interested in participating, feel free to do so!

**Song**: "Naturally" preformed by Selena Gomez … minor editing to the lyrics (i.e. I cut out repetitive stanzas)

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!**

**

* * *

**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**NATURALLY****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

_How you choose to express yourself  
it's all your own and I can tell  
It comes naturally,  
it comes naturally_  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"She is a natural." The man in the olive colored robes stated as he adjusted the layered veils on the bun-haired kunoichi's head.

"hm." Gai nodded approvingly. "She does look very youthful," he replied, agreeing with the other man's assessment.

Standing watch from another side of the room, disguised as a guard in dark blue robes, Neji amusedly smirked as he saw the kunoichi struggle against the olive-dressed man, who continued to readjust her attire.

"_She_ would prefer you not speak of _her_ as if _she_ were not in the room!" Tenten tugged agitatedly at the tight collar of her dress.

"Ah, ah, ah!" The olive-robed man wagged his finger at her, warning the kunoichi to remember her part. "A princess does not speak, unless spoken to." he stated matter-of-factly.

"Well, _I_ am not a princess!" Tenten challenged, still fighting against the collar, and apparently losing. "And _I_ can speak whatever way _I_ goddam please!" she shouted, stressing the I's as she glared at the man who had swatted her hand away from the collar.

"But Tenten-san," Lee, also dressed in dark blue guard robes and standing at the other end of the room, called out. "You are playing the part of a Princess," he reminded her.

"Yeah, I know." Tenten rubbed her nose aggressively, pushing the itchy veils up away from her face. "But I'm still _me_ under this ridiculous get up!" She growled, clearly feeling constricted by all the elaborate material of her disguise.

For his part, Neji agreed that the kunoichi looked quiet lovely in her flowing pink ballgown. Despite her strong feminist personality, Tenten possessed an elegant grace that suited her perfectly and served to help her blend in with the elite populous of which she was given the mission of observing in order to determine who it was that was targeting the real princess's life.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_You follow what you feel inside  
it's intuitive you don't have to try,  
it comes naturally,  
mmmm  
it comes naturally..._  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-

"Neji." Tenten quietly called to the Hyuga, over the discrete microphone she wore on her high collared dress. Behind the veil, no one could see her lips move, but at the moment, standing off to one side of the large ballroom on her own, it would appear strange if she were caught speaking to herself, so she attempted to keep her voice down, making it difficult for the Hyuga to hear her. "There's something suspicious about that guy in the dark crimson robes," she quietly informed him.

At the other end of the communication device, Neji scanned the room with his well trained eyes; his gaze falling upon a tall, burly man standing a few yards from where Tenten had begun talking to a group of younger girls who had just approached her. The man in question, had been one that had previously caught the Hyuga's attention. Neji had noticed him staring at Tenten a few times. He had moved around the ballroom, standing amongst large groups, without ever really speaking to any of the other guests.

"Not that one." Tenten's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"How-" Neji had been about to ask how she knew which one it was that he was observing, but decided against it. It was Tenten, after all. If anyone could tell what the Hyuga was thinking at any given moment, it was the weapons mistress. "Hn," he grunted.

"The skinny one," she mumbled quietly, keeping her voice from reaching out to the young girls admiring her dress.

Neji looked again, spotting a tiny, sickly looking man, standing at one corner of the room. He was an insignificant looking man, who easily blended into his surroundings. His appearance was harmless; a man who most would never give a second glance. Neji himself had scarcely registered the mans presence. But Tenten had.

"You're certain?" Neji asked, attempting to verify that he had located the correct suspect this time.

"Yes." Tenten softly whispered, nodding her head slightly, making her veiled headpiece bob a little.

Though the first man looked more like a hired assassin, than the sickly little invisible man, Neji knew it was pointless to go against Tenten's intuition. If she was certain that was the man, then that was the man.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_And it takes my breath away  
what you do...so naturally_  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-

He didn't like the idea of using her as bait. He never liked the idea of placing her in unnecessary danger. But that was the duty of a shinobi. Their lives were constantly at risk. And Tenten took her duty as a kunoichi, as serious as any other; if not more so due in large part to the fact that she often felt she needed to prove she was as good as any male.

"Ready?" She quietly whispered into her microphone.

"Hn." Neji nodded to Lee, who quickly nodded back from across the room.

All three teammates soon began moving into position. Effortlessly, with the grace of a skilled kunoichi, Tenten easily maneuvered herself away from the young girls that had been admiringly playing with her dress, as Neji and Lee discretely surrounded the assassin, who was stealthily approaching Tenten from the back.

"He's close." Neji warned, unconsciously holding his breath as he waited for the moment to make his move, careful that everything moved according to plan; fearful that if it did not, Tenten would be the one to pay.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
_You are the thunder and I am the lightning  
and I love the way you know who you are,  
and to me it's exciting  
when you know it's meant to be  
everything comes naturally  
it comes naturally  
when you're with me baby  
everything comes naturally  
it comes naturally  
bay-bay bay-bee_  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Power.

That was the only way to describe her movements, as Tenten side-stepped the knife the assassin pulled from his robes and jabbed at her from behind. He had aimed a mortal wound that, had it reached it's mark, would have killed Tenten in the most painful manner. It would have been a certain death. But Tenten had long since become familiar with the shrill sound of metal being pulled from it's sheath. Alerted to the danger, she had naturally, effortlessly, moved before the sharp weapon had hit it's intended mark.

Instantly, screams filled the air, when the first drops of crimson stained the pretty silk everyone had earlier been admiring. The party guests anxiously began scurrying through the ballroom, frantically searching for an exit. They ran from the room, as Neji and Lee dashed to the side of their wounded princess.

But she wasn't done yet either.

As soon as she caught her breath, Tenten ripped off the cumbersome veiled headpiece and half her dress. Freer in her movements, she lunged at the knife-wielding assassin. He fought back, but he was no match for her strength and agility. Even wounded, her movements were precise. Powerful.

The man, however, did not give up easily. Kicking her hard against the wound he'd inflicted, causing her to double over in pain, the assassin pulled back his robes as the bun-haired girl crawled away from him. Quickly, he performed three simple hand seals and instantly, half a dozen more men appeared; seemingly out of nowhere. Instructed by the assassin, the other men went after Neji and Lee, keeping them from the injured kunoichi, as the assassin grew closer.

A crooked smirk looked down upon the kunoichi as Tenten painfully grasped her wounded side. She tried to stand, grabbing the short dagger she had been concealing under her clothes, Tenten looked for the man who had stabbed her. From where he stood, Neji could tell, however, that she could not see him, despite how close the man was. Her eyes were blinded by tears as she fought back the pain.

'TENTEN!' Neji frantically fought to break free of the men he was fighting, and rush over to defend her.

He struck, like lightning, unseen; unheard. Giving Tenten just enough time to pull out her hidden scroll and send down a thunderous wave of weapons, aimed perfectly at the assassin and his accomplices; striking them down with flawless power and precision.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
You have a way of moving me  
a force of nature, your energy  
it comes naturally, (You know it does)  
it comes naturally  
__And it takes my breath away (Everytime)  
__what you do...so.. naturally  
_-:-:-:-:-:-:-

The fragrance of flowers engulfed him as Neji stepped into the palace garden. "Are you in pain?" he asked, approaching the kunoichi as she sat on the small bench near the red rose bushes.

Smiling meekly, Tenten shook her head. "I'm fine," she answered.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, sitting himself down next to her; concern clearly etched on his usually calm face.

"I'm really okay, Neji." She smiled warmly, trying to reassure him.

He could tell from the tiny tears at the corners of her eyes that she wasn't fine. The fact that she was even there, in the garden, escaping from the world that surrounded her, and not in the room where she had been told to rest, was a clear sign she was not okay.

She had screamed all through her surgery, despite the painkillers that had been administered to ease her pain. She had silently wept for nights as her wound healed, trying to conceal her pain for the guards that stood watch. She had stood up and walked before it was necessary or advisable.

It was evident that the wound at her side hurt greatly, but Tenten had never been the type to complain. Even when it hurt, she would endure it, putting up a brave and solid front, believing it was necessary to prove herself.

It moved him to see her tireless efforts to always do her best, but at the same time, it killed him sometimes.

"Haah." Neji exhaled deeply, releasing a breath he had not even realized he had been holding.

"Better?" Tenten looked up at him questioningly, instinctively understanding what he couldn't even put into words, as his chest tightened, gripped with a mixture of anger and fear.

"No." He shook his head, not in the least bit surprised she could tell what he was feeling.

She apologetically smiled. "Sorry," the kunoichi whispered gently, placing her hand over his before squeezing it softly.

_-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
When we collide, sparks fly  
When you look in my eyes  
It takes my breath away...!  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-_

"It's getting late," Neji stated, as he looked up at the darkening sky.

There was still plenty of light out, as the sun had only just set moments earlier; coloring the world in purple, pink, and crimson hues. The colors of passion, burning bright, before the dusk engulfed them in the dark deep colors of the night.

They had been out for hours already. Leaving the last few details of the mission to Lee and Gai, who had been busy assisting in the interrogation of the assassin, and protecting the real princess in case there was still more danger. In the days that followed the attack, most everything had been taken care of, but there were still a few things to sort out before they could claim the mission was truly complete.

"Perhaps we should go back in?" Neji offered, wanting to get her back into her room to rest as she had been instructed to do, but also thinking that it was best not to leave the princess alone with Lee and Gai for too long.

"Just a little bit longer," Tenten whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. "I like it when the sun burns out, and the darkness surrounds us. It's kind of calming," she mused.

"Hn." Neji nodded, understanding perfectly what she meant. "Are you cold?" he asked, noticing a slight shiver in the girl as she leaned into him.

"A little," Tenten drowsily replied. "But I don't want to leave yet," she added quickly.

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him, while still attempting to be gentle. He didn't want to open up her stitches after all. "Better?" he asked, looking down into her sparkling coffee tinted eyes.

"Much," she nodded, smiling up tenderly as she returned his loving gaze, feeling the warmth of his nearness spread through her body as she cuddled in closer to her. "Thanks Neji," she whispered, tilting her head up and lightly brushing her lips against his cheek.

He turned and smiled down at her. "You're welcome," Neji replied, sighing as he mused at the thought of how naturally it felt to hold her in his arms.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**__**THE END**_**  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

A/N:_ You have no idea how much this killed me... I'm so sorely out of practice. I kind of wished I could have had a passionate kiss at the end, but it just didn't seem to want to work out... maybe because they're on a mission, and so the fluff felt like it had to be a little more subtle (yes, if you hadn't already noticed, my stories control me, not the other way around ;p)... anyway I hope you all enjoyed it... and yes, I'm back! But going to start working on HEART OF DECEPTION now._


	90. Candy

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto!

******MY SUBMISSION FOR THE 10 DAYS Of TENTEN over on NEJITENPLZ on Deviantart Held from Oct 1st to the 10th (10-10-10)**  


**A/N: **yes... crack … it's been a while... And I wrote this in less than an hour so it's probably not the greatest, but it's an amusing little plot bunny that's been sitting in my notebook for months and I just wanted to get it written already. (and just fyi if anyone complains about this being short, expect to be brutally attacked cos I'm just so not in the mood to play nice today).

**Thank you for the reviews, they really do mean a lot to me. :D**

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**CANDY****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

He had never liked sweets. Even as a child, Neji had never understood their allure. It didn't help that he wasn't introduced to candy until rather late in his childhood. It was at the age of ten when Neji had had his very first sweet.

Chocolate.

His first taste of candy.

It had come at the hand of a cute ten-year-old girl, with twin buns held together by simple red ribbons. Said girl, had attempted to make her own chocolate one February 14th, instead of buying it like all the other little girls. Neji had refused all the other chocolates he had been offered that day; all except, of course, the girl with the twin-buns. It had mostly been out of curiosity to know what the big deal about chocolate was, but the reason he chose her chocolate over all others was because his ten-year-old self had been slightly touched the girl had put in the extra effort of making them herself; as evidenced by the bandages around her scorched fingers. Of course, much later, in the years that followed and the bun-haired girl became his teammate, then his friend, and much later his girlfriend, Neji came to the conclusion that his ten-year-old self had also found the girl with the twin-buns to be kind of cute, and it was for that reason more than any other that he had accepted her chocolate alone.

Unfortunately, the girl's chocolate had been made using too much sugar, and it had been cooked for longer than necessary causing it to burn and give off a bitter taste and smell. It had all ultimately resulted in Neji getting rushed to the hospital and having his ten-year-old stomach pumped.

Since that day, the white-eye prodigy had never accepted any more chocolates from anyone. And, he had shied away from all other candy. It could even be said he had developed a fear of sweets. So it was particularly disconcerting when Neji noticed his long time girlfriend, the very one who had fed him the catastrophic homemade chocolate, enter his bedroom with a brightly colored bag of sweets from the local candy shop.

"Hi Neji." Tenten smiled brightly, bouncing happily toward where he was sitting on the bed.

"Tenten..." He questioningly stared at the kunoichi, wondering what she could possibly be thinking bringing a bag like that in his presence when she, better than anyone, knew how he felt about sweets.

And, as if understanding perfectly well what it was the Hyuga was thinking, Tenten's smile grew wider, almost teasingly so. "Don't worry, there's nothing sweet in this bag, I promise."

He was skeptical, though, as he watched her carefully walk over to him, sitting down on the bed in front of him. "What are you planning?" Neji questioned the weapons mistress as she smiled devilishly, holding the brightly colored bag up for him to see that in fact there was no chocolate in it.

"Well," she began. "I know you don't like sweets, but I was thinking..."

He didn't like where this was headed. Neji knew the kunoichi well enough that he would not be surprised if he had to make another trip to the emergency room very soon.

"It's not that bad." Tenten glared at him, knowing him well enough to know that his mind would immediately take him to the worst case scenario. "I just thought maybe we could try and see if you might like other types of candy."

"Is that all?" he questioned, feeling slightly more at ease with her explanation, though a little voice in his head reminded him of the words 'stomach pump.'

"Yeah." She nodded, looking down into her brightly colored bag and quickly beginning to rustle through it.

It wasn't a very big bag to begin with, and from what he had seen, it couldn't possibly hold too much inside of it. Still, Neji couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive of what the kunoichi might have hidden away in the crinkly little plastic bag. Every second that ticked away as she rustled through it, the prodigy's nerves grew more and more on edge. It came to the point where he would have rather she just force all the candy inside of the bag into his mouth and let whatever was to come, just come.

"Ah! Here we go!" She lifted her head back up as she pulled out a tiny yellow ball. It looked about the size of a marble, and if Neji didn't know better, he actually would have thought that it was one.

Quickly, before he even realized what she was doing, Tenten popped the small yellow candy into his mouth. His immediate reaction was shock, and he had thought to spit the yellow ball out of his mouth quickly, but she had anticipated that reaction and had covered his mouth with her hand, shaking her head to tell him she would not like it if he did spit it out.

After that, Neji inwardly related, and let the candy rest on his tongue. He rolled it around for a moment, giving in and attempting to savor the flavor of it. It was sweet, but tangy. Like there was a sugary coating over a bright lemony flavor. As he continued to roll it around his mouth, Neji noticed the sweet taste began to disappear as the sugar melted into his tongue. It was then that his mouth suddenly felt like it would cave in on itself as a powerfully sour flavor filled his senses. His eyes opened impossibly wide as he tried to understand what it was that was happening in his mouth. He had never before tasted anything so aggressively strong. His instinct to spit it out once more took hold of him, but as he attempted to do so, Neji spotted the kunoichi giggle out of the corner of his eyes and a different thought occurred to him.

With lightning quick reflexes of a trained shinobi, Neji reached for the giggling girl and pulled her to him. Pressing his lips hard against hers as be began kissing her. He used his tongue to probe at her mouth, and she parted her lips to comply. Without warning, he used his tongue to pop the sour ball from his mouth into hers and then quickly pulled away, smirking as the girl's giggling expression changed to one of shock and then immediately tightened; her eyes clenched and her mouth puckered from the sourness of the little yellow candy ball she been forced to take in.

As he sat there watching Tenten wrestle with the sour ball in her mouth, Neji thought to himself that though he still did not like candy and sweets, the bright lemony taste that now lingered in his mouth wasn't all that bad...

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**THE END**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

_I wrote this in like 1/2 an hour so not the greatest... and to be honest didn't post it here, was just going to have it in my deviartart account, but I thought I should, so hope you all enjoy it. _


	91. Nothing to Wear

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto!

A/N: I was writing this other oneshot, when this idea just kind of popped in my head and I wrote it down in like 20 minutes ;p so... it's weird... enjoy! XP I was going to add it to my drabble collection instead of here, but I didn't expect it to be over 900 words and my drabble collection is supposed to be 700 or less so... yeah... but just letting you know that means this was just a quick, not as thought out or as planned oneshot as the ones in this collection usually are. I still like it though.

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**NOTHING TO WEAR****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

He watched as she paced back and forth between her closet and her drawers, pulling different things out and tossing them every which way at random. The floor of her bedroom was littered in articles of clothing, making her usually immaculately organized room look cluttered and messy.

"Ten," Neji called out, trying to get the girl's attention as she frantically searched her closet.

The kunoichi put her hand up to silence him. "Just a sec," she requested.

"Ten," he called again, certain she wouldn't want to wait given what he needed to tell her.

"In a minute," Tenten replied, as she rushed over to her dresser, pulling out the entire top drawer and tossing it on the bed.

"Ten," he insisted.

"Just wait!" she urged, pulling out the contents of the drawer.

"Ten," he called again, in a slightly more annoyed tone than he intended, but he was really starting to get tired of it.

"I'm not done yet," she groaned, also seemingly annoyed by the little back and forth the two teammates had been having for the last few minutes.

"Tenten," the Hyuga firmly called out, letting her know he was not going to wait and remain quiet as she requested.

The weapon's mistress finally turned to him, as she momentarily stopped rummaging through her delicates, which happen to be the contents of the drawer she'd pulled out. "Neji, I'm a little busy here!" the kunoichi said as she waved her hands frantically, emphasizing the point that she literally had her hands full. "But seriously! Who comes up with a last minute party?" Tenten asked, exasperated, as she returned to what she had been doing previously, riffling through her drawer some more, before standing back up and walking to her closet once more. "I mean, I know Halloween is predictable, and comes every year," she began to rant.

"Ten." Neji called again, but she ignored him, or didn't hear, as she quickly began pulling out every dress she owned and threw them on her cluttered bed.

"I hadn't planned on doing anything, and with back to back missions, all I really wanted to do today was rest and take a nap, maybe watch a movie, or read a book," Tenten paused to breath, walking over to her bed carrying an arm load of dark clothes. "Can you believe I haven't read a book in over a year? I love reading!" she exclaimed, turning to him as if expecting him to nod, because of course Neji already knew this about her.

"Ten."

"But nooooooo" she continued, ignoring Neji's cry again. "I can't get a decent amount of time off to read one of my books. Do you know how many books I have sitting on my bookshelf that I haven't even opened? Do you realize how sad that is? My poor books, all collecting dust, unloved and unread, how can fate be this heartless?" she paused again to inhale deeply.

"Ten," Neji stepped forward, approaching her, but then thought better and returned to his previous position at the archway of her bedroom door.

"And costumes!" she unhappily groaned, leaping back to the previous subject, apparently not caring if her rant actually made sense, though of course Neji would be able to follow any leaps in though process with ease, as he knew her well enough. "I get that costume parties are normal this time of year, but considering the party was announced this morning, is it really necessary to make costumes mandatory?"

"Ten."

"Who lets Naruto plan a shinobi party?" she yelled, pulling out a sleek black dress out of the pile of clothing and then proceeding to take a kunai to it and shred the hem. "His team had a month to plan and organize, but the idiot forgets to send out invitations until the morning of?" She threw her kunai angrily at the other end of the room, where a thick slab of concrete had been framed and hung, to keep her from putting holes in her walls when she was angry. "How could no one think that would happen?"

"Ten," Neji called out to the girl one last time, hoping the tattered black dress in her hand meant she was ready to listen.

"WHAT?" Tenten yelled out, turning to face him as she held the ripped home-made witch costume in her right hand.

"Perhaps you should put that on," he pointed at the dress.

Irritated, Tenten was about to snap at him again and tell him that that was exactly what she intended to do, when, out of the corner of her eye, in the dresser mirror, the kunoichi finally understood what he'd been trying to tell her all along. "Haa!" she gasped, pulling the torn dress up to her chest, to conceal the fact that the whole time she had been speaking with her 'prime and proper' teammate, the only thing she had been wearing on the top half of her body, was a lacy black bra. "Why didn't you tell me sooner!" the kunoichi yelled out, blushing deep crimson as she frantically rushed towards her teammate and began shoving him away.

"I tried," was the only response Neji could manage, as the embarrassed kunoichi pushed him out of her room.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sure he tried very hard, and didn't hesitate just cos he wanted to keep seeing Tenten in her bra... yup, yup, I'm sure of it... Neji's not that kind of guy after all *whistles nonchalantly* **


	92. Ghosts

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto!

A/N: I've been writing this since 10-10-10 in honor of both Tenten and Naruto... but got stalled... finished in perfect timing though... for Halloween AND the upcoming "Set Off! Team Tenten!" (Nov 4th) starring Tenten, Neji and Naruto (according to the rumors).

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS, ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!**

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**GHOSTS****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

A sharp noise, rapidly tapping on her door woke Tenten from a deep slumber. She had arrived from a solo mission only an hour earlier. Her body ached all over; her spirit was drained completely of it's usual cheerfulness. Glancing over at the old wooden clock on her nightstand as she rose to her feet, the kunoichi was not very happy to see how late it was. Though it was common enough to have one, or maybe all, of her teammates show up to check on her after a mission, considering that it was well pass four in the morning, Tenten had not expected to see any of them until sunrise, at the earliest.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she groaned as the knocking grew louder. The kunoichi cursed under her breath, approaching the entrance of her apartment. Little did she expect to see the terrified face that greeted her on the other side of the door. "Naruto?" She looked at the younger boy standing outside her apartment questioningly, wondering what he was doing there so late at night.

"H-hi, Tenten-chan," the blonde nervously greeted her, agitatedly looking left and right down the dark corridor of their apartment building.

"Oh." She nodded, understanding fully well, from his attire – froggie pajamas and matching sleeping cap - why it was that the blonde shinobi from next door had come to visit so late in the twilight hours.

The blonde boy had been her next door neighbor for as far back as Tenten could remember. They had been kids when they were first moved into the shinobi apartments. Having both been orphans, they had instantly bonded and had often spent time in one another's rooms. But only one reason ever brought the blonde shinobi to her door at such an hour. "Come on in," Tenten sighed, stepping aside and gesturing for the younger boy to enter.

"Thanks," Naruto sheepishly grinned, pulling his tattered old orange safety blanket behind him as he drowsily dragged himself into the small apartment and made his way to her bedroom, blushing embarrassed as he walked towards her small twin-sized bed; though not for the reasons one would think.

"So..." Tenten walked in behind the blonde boy, heading straight for the closet. "Nightmares?" she asked, trying her hardest not to snicker at the boys obvious embarrassment, as she pulled out some blankets from the shelf at the top of her closet.

"Ghosts," he bashfully admitted as he grabbed the roll of blankets she handed him; the same blankets he always used since the first time he snuck into her room at the age of four, after a particularly bad nightmare on a stormy night.

"hahaha" the kunoichi laughed, unable to contain herself any longer, much to the humiliation of the younger shinobi who was doing his very best to hide his crimson face under the blankets of the make-shift bed he had set up at the foot of hers.

"You don't have to laugh so much," Naruto mumbled behind the orange safety blanket he had had since he was a child.

"hehe, I'm sorry," Tenten replied, calming her laughter as she looked down at the pouting boy, before jumping over him to get back into her warm bed. "But seriously," she began, burying herself under her own blankets. "How many times do you have to be told that ghosts aren't real."

"They are!" Naruto weakly protested. Ghost were a known fear of the blonde-haired boy. The fact that everyone told him they didn't exist, however, didn't do much to quell the boys irrational phobia. "I've seen them!"

"You've seen shadows," Tenten retorted, emphasizing her point by bringing her hands up and casting a ghastly shadow on the wall adjacent to her bed, illuminated by the light of the moon outside her window.

"That's not it." Naruto adamantly shook his head.

"Oh?" Tenten peered over the edge of her bed to get a better look at the younger boy. "So then, do you mean when you saw your mom and dad in those visions?" she asked, referring to the stories he'd told her about seeing his father, the fourth, and his mother, shortly before he had finally learned to control the nine-tails. "Well... I guess, technically since they are dead, that would mean you were talking to ghosts..." she mused, forgetting to be tactful given the topic. It wasn't as if it were necessary though, she and Naruto had never felt the need to sugarcoat the difficulties of being orphans, nor tiptoe around the subject of their deceased parents, like adults all too often used to do with them when they were young.

"They weren't ghosts!" Naruto sharply replied, though his tone denoted a sense of doubt and fear.

"Shouldn't you be glad that ghosts exist, if it allowed you to speak to them?" she countered, trying to get him to see the positive side of his fear.

"They weren't ghosts!" he firmly repeated.

"Then what were they?"

"ummm," Naruto thought for a moment, trying to explain his visions without admitting that perhaps he had spoken to ghosts. "They were remnant pieces of their subconscious minds locked inside of me?" he hesitantly offered, hopeful she would buy his reasoning.

"Eh?" Tenten cocked her head to the side, her eyes shooting open in surprise at the sudden insightfulness of her usually idiotic neighbor.

"What?" the boy curiously looked up at her, wondering why she was suddenly looking at him so weird.

"That was pretty clever," she explained upon seeing his confusion.

His face scrunched up for a moment, before he realized what she had been implying. "Don't say it like it's surprising!" he pouted. "I'm not as stupid as people think I am."

"Hahah I know," she replied through giggles. "But still, that was pretty clever."

The younger boy's pouting lips slowly twisted into a crooked smile, before widening and spreading to cover almost half his face as he watched the kunoichi giggle above him. Silence soon filled the room as the dying laughter faded into the night and Tenten's labored breathing calmed.

"You feeling better now?" she asked once she had finally stopped laughing and caught her breath.

Still smiling, Naruto nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." She grinned, before laying back down and facing up towards her ceiling. "You know..." Tenten slowly began. "It's been a while since we've done this hasn't it?"

"huh?" Naruto's brow furrowed in confusion. "oh!" he nodded. "Yeah I guess so."

"Well I'm sure you're pretty busy trying to become the next hokage and all," she reasoned, smiling nostalgically as she remembered the many nights they had spent sharing each other's darkest fears and deepest dreams.

Of all his many friends, Tenten had been the first to know of Naruto's dream. She had been with him the moment he had decided that the only way for him to earn everyone's respect was to become the best Hokage that ever lived. His dream in turn had inspired her to want to be the best kunoichi she could be. As the years went by, they had spent less and less time together, both focused on their goals. But still, they had always been just a room away. Even when they had formed bonds with other friends, they had always held a deep lasting bond, different from any other. They were more than friends, more than teammates, or fellow shinobi. They shared the same pain and struggle, but also the same hopes and dreams. To Tenten, he wasn't just the boy next door, Naruto was a kindred spirit; a little brother, and a best friend.

"Yeah, well," Naruto chuckled, smirking teasingly as he stared over at her on the bed. "Aren't you usually pretty busy with _Neji-kun_?" he smirked knowingly, aware of the kunoichi's long time crush on her sparring partner. Sitting up, he turned away from her and wrapped his arms around him, making kissing noises as if he were making out with someone who was not there. "Oh Neji!" he teasingly moaned in a girlie tone. "Oh Tenten!" he lowered his voice. "mmm Tenten, I love you" he continued, moving his hands lustfully over his arms, still facing away from the kunoichi. "yes Neji mmm so good... oh Tenten, I want yo-"

"Shut up!" Tenten yelled out, tossing a pillow down hard at the back of his head, her cheeks blushing bright red.

Turning around, still doing his best imitation of Neji, at least in his mind anyway, Naruto pounced on the kunoichi, preparing to strike her with the pillow he held hidden behind his back. "Kiss me Tenten! You know you love me! Muah muah muah muah!" he puckered his lips, making kissing noises as he slowly pulled the pillow from behind him. But just as luck would have it, at that very moment, a loud bang exploded through the room, as one very pissed off Hyuga, who had come to check in on his teammate after her mission, crashed through the front door rushing into the room and glared angrily at the blond shinobi, as Naruto straddled the blushing kunoichi's hips, his lips pursed for a kiss as he leaned forward on top of her. "I CAN EXPLAIN!" Naruto yelled out, dropping the pillow from behind him and quickly jumping off of Tenten. "It's not what it looks like, I was..." he struggled for what to say next, "Ghosts!" Naruto shouted, pointing to the wall behind the Hyuga, taking the opportunity Neji provided him when he turned to see what Naruto was pointing at, and immediately escaped out the window.

As he ran off into the dark streets below, Naruto realized there were some things that were scarier than ghosts...

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!**

* * *

A/N: the ending might be a little rushed, but I'm content enough with it ;p


	93. Icha Icha Paradise

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto!

**Thank you for the reviews, they really do mean a lot to me. :D**

**A/N:** I've been meaning to write this story since I mentioned the idea back in CHAPTER 20... now, 73 chapters later... I finally got it done! ;p

This my half of a COLLABORATION with ATELIER20 (on Deviantart). She's doing a 5 page Doujin of this story, which I will link to on my profile the second it's up. XD

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**ICHA ICHA PARADISE****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Time." Neji called out, raising his hands up to indicate for his sparring partner to come down from the tree she was perched on; the position she'd been in for the last few minutes, throwing wave after wave of weapons at him.

They had been training nonstop for the last five hours, under the scorching Konoha autumn sun. Though Fire Country was well known for being warm year round, the Hidden Leaf had been experiencing unseasonably hot weather in the last few days.

"Break?" Tenten asked, panting, as she jumped down from her hiding place.

"Hai." Neji nodded in response, walking over to their packs, which were on the other side of the clearing, away from their destructive chaos.

"Thanks." Tenten panted as she followed behind him, unfastening the gold ties on her baggy white long sleeved shirt. "What is with this weather?" she groaned, peeling off the thick fabric as she flopped down next to their bags and leaned back against the tree they were placed in front of.

"Hn." Neji nodded, agreeing with her. The weather was ridiculously hot. And the fact that the two of them tended to wear thick baggy training gear certainly wasn't helping. He had discarded his own baggy shirt half an hour earlier. Picking it up now, the Hyuga used it to wipe the sweat off his body, for once wishing his hair wasn't as long as it was, as it was only serving to make him hotter.

"I wonder if those two took any water with them," she asked, referring to their less sane teammates, who, hours earlier, had taken off to do one hundred laps around the village.

"Probably not," Neji replied, already imagining what state their two other teammates were in at this point. "They'll dehydrate," he observed, knowing Tenten had undoubtedly already come to the same conclusion as him.

The kunoichi sighed, nodding in agreement. "Speaking of which," she began, looking over at their packs again. "I finished my water already," she smiled meekly, showing him her empty water bottle as she looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Go ahead," he nodded, knowing perfectly well what she wanted even without her asking.

Tenten smiled back in response, before grabbing for his bag and quickly searching through it for his water bottle. She dug around through the pack, reaching her arm as far in as she could, searching for the bottle. As she did, Neji turned up to the cloudless sky, wondering how much longer they would have to endure this unbearable heatwave.

It was common enough to train in extreme temperatures, but that didn't make it any less unpleasant. To make matters worse, was the fact that in recent days, Tenten had been wearing only half of her outfit most of the time. It wasn't that she was running around half naked or anything. Compared to what most kunoichi often wore, in her baggy red pants and tight black tank top, Tenten was still overly dressed. But, despite coming from the repressed prudish Hyuga clan, Neji was still a teenage boy. And like any teenage boy, seeing a cute half-dressed girl, whom he happened to have had a crush on for the last five years, wasn't exactly helping him concentrate in this heat.

"What's this?" Tenten's voice suddenly interrupted the Hyuga's thoughts.

Neji turned to face her, wondering what she was talking about, when suddenly his body went cold and he just about fell to the floor in surprise. "Th-th-that-that" he stuttered, unwillingly doing his best impersonation of Hinata.

In her hand, the kunoichi held a very familiar orange book that Neji had grabbed off the floor, months earlier, when Team Gai and Team Kakashi had been returning from their mission to rescue the Kazekage. He had picked it up when it had accidently fallen out of Kakashi's pack as Gai carried him through the desert back to Fire Country. The embarrassment of seeing his sensei carrying another man on his back had prevented Neji from getting close enough to return the book then and there, but he had always intended to do so. The silver haired jounin had ended up in the hospital, preventing Neji from having an opportunity to discreetly return the book, as the masked man was almost always surrounded by well wishers during that time. Eventually the months had passed, and Neji forgot about the book, which had buried itself deep inside his bag. But why, of all times, and of all people, did it have to be Tenten who found it?

Tenten shrugged. "I guess you are a guy, after all," she said with a slight tint to her cheeks as she looked over at him from behind the book.

"You're wrong!" Neji protested loudly.

"Oh?" Tenten looked up at him, smiling teasingly. "So you're not a guy?" she joked. "Well you have always been a bit too pretty," she teased, knowing it was his one hang up to be compared to a girl because of his long hair and flawlessly smooth skin.

"Ten," Neji glared down at her, his earlier embarrassment set aside for the moment as he waited for her to apologize for that low blow.

"Oh, come on," she rolled her eyes playfully. He realized then what she had done. Tenten was always looking out for him, even in the midst of embarrassment, she tried to make him comfortable. No one else could do that but her. "So when did Hyuga Neji become such a perv?"

Then again, no one else could rile him up, quite like her either.

"That's not my book." Neji sternly replied, attempting to grab the orange book from her as she waved it around.

"I know," the bun-haired girl smirked, opening the book to the first page. "Property of Hatake Kakashi, if found please return to..." she read off what was written in bold red letters in the front inside cover. "So did you borrow it? Or did Kakashi-sensei force it one you?... Or did you steal it?"

"No!" Neji yelled in protest, ready to defend himself against her unfounded accusations. He didn't get the chance, however, as seconds later Tenten burst into laughter, practically rolling on the floor, holding her stomach as she bellowed loudly.

"I-I" she continued laughing, hopelessly trying to steady her breathing to speak. "I know." Tenten finally spoke, still panting from her giggle fit. "I know," she nodded hardily. "I was there," she reminded him. "I saw you pick it up after our mission to rescue Gaara," she paused again, to calm her laughter. "I saw when Kakakshi-sensei dropped it and you picked it up... but... I kind of expected you to return this sooner," Tenten smirked. There was a questioning look in her eyes, as if she were asking him if he really were having perverted thoughts and that's why he had kept the book. That certainly wasn't the case, but... Neji also didn't want to admit he had just forgotten. It wasn't like him to be so careless.

He tried to keep a stern expression on his face as he calmly reached out for the book again. "If it disturbs you so much, perhaps I should return it right-"

"No!" Tenten pulled it away from his grasp. "Since we already have it..." she smiled weakly, blushing a deeper shade of red than she'd previously had when she first found the book in his bag.

Neji stared at her for moment, admiring how adorable she looked. But then it hit him. "What did you just-"

"Oh come on!" Tenten cut him off. "Don't tell me you're not in the least bit curious."

He couldn't deny it, but Neji had never expected her to suggest that they look through the well known pornographic novel... together! "Are you certain about this?" he asked, though he was already sitting down next to her, his body moving of it's own will. It wasn't like he was particularly interested, it was just that he was never very good at denying her anything. Or at least that's what he was telling himself at that moment, as he leaned back against the same tree the kunoichi was sitting in front of.

Admittedly, he was curious as to why so many of the shinobi of their village were so entrapped by the book. Gai, of course was one of the few exceptions, but then again he was an exception to just about every rule of normalcy. But the rest of the shinobi population seemed to be obsessed with the book. Since neither he, nor any of his friends, including Tenten, were of legal age to purchase said book, it was obvious that none of them really knew what it was actually about. Well, except for maybe Naruto. But he was an exception unto himself as well.

"oh my gawd," Tenten stared in awe after she opened the book to some random page.

Neji peeked over her shoulder wondering what had shocked the usually levelheaded kunoichi. The moment he did, however, he regretted ever agreeing to read the book in the first place. None of the rumors he had heard in regards to the illicit book could have prepared him. Not even in his wildest dreams would he have envisioned what he read on that page. It was smut in every sense of the word; more graphic, and detailed than he had expected, sprinkled with just a dose of romance.

"Is that even possible?" she asked, turning towards the Hyuga.

When their eyes met, immediately the two sparring partners turned a brighter shade of red than even Hinata had ever worn. Quickly turning away, unable to look each other in the face. Too embarrassed by what they read, and the pictures that floated in each of their minds. An awkward silence fell upon the two, but it lasted only a moment, before a soft, muffled laugh broke the silence.

"So did you enjoy it?" a familiar voice called out to them, startling both sparring partners, who quickly shot to their feet, surprised they had never sensed the presence of another person in the area.

From behind the tree, the legendary Copy-nin himself walked out, chuckling behind his mask. He walked up to them, reaching for his book, which he easily snatched from the kunoichi's gloved hand. Still laughing and shaking his head in amusement, Kakashi turned to walk away. "Thanks Neji-kun!" he nodded towards the Hyuga, then began walking back towards where he had come from, but not before turning one last time to face the two blushing teens. "Oh, and Tenten-chan..." he called out, smirking under his mask. "It _is_ possible," he chuckled, amused at her embarrassed expression. "Maybe you two should see for yourself," he added, winking his one uncovered eye, before once more turning to walk away, leaving two very humiliated seventeen year olds behind him.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

**THE END**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

**A/N**: I'm been meaning to do this one for the longest time. Really happy I finally got to. Hope you all enjoyed it!


	94. Gift of the Magi

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: Sorry it's a bit late (2.5 hours), but I was working on 2 other stories... well one 13-chapter christmas story, and one 12-drabble Nejiten christmas collection, so I sadly didn't have enough time to do this one on time. But it's out, so Merry (belated) Christmas!

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**GIFT OF THE MAGI****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_**(1)**

It was Christmas day, and Tenten still hadn't found the perfect gift for her Hyuga boyfriend. She had looked and looked, and nothing had seemed perfect enough for him. All her other gifts had been simple enough to find. And Tenten prided herself in being able to find the one perfect gift for each person on her list.

It hadn't been a particularly good holiday season, at least not monetarily. The bun-haired girl had had a lot of expenses throughout the last few months, so she had been a bit short financially. As a result, a lot of her gifts had been hand made. Most of her friends and family had gotten scarfs, sweaters, and hats that she had knit herself. Lee and Gai had been given new leg weights that the kunoichi had made herself from old discarded weapons she had melted down and remolded. Naruto, Sai, and Chouji had all received gift certificates to their favorite places; Ichiraku, the bookstore, and the barbeque restaurant respectively. Hinata, Kiba and Shino had all been knit some warms sweaters, while Akamaru had gotten some homemade doggy treats. Sakura and Ino had been given handmade fashion jewelry that Tenten had melted down from some of her lightweight metals. She had given Temari some similar earrings that could double as weapons as well, knowing the sand princess would definitely appreciate something like that. For Kankuro, Tenten had made a sealing scroll he could use to carry more of his puppets in, and Gaara had received a cute panda-print hat she had knit for him, with the word 'love' embroidered at the top, just above his tattoo. And lastly, for Shikamaru, she had made a large pillow with lavender stuffed into it between the soft goose feathers. It wasn't that he needed the lavender to sleep, but Tenten figured if he was going to be sleeping anyway, it might as well be a relaxing sleep.

All of her gifts had been relatively inexpensive, but thoughtful and unique to the taste of each of her friends. She was confident that they would all really like their gifts. The only problem now, however, was there was nothing Tenten could come up with that would be right for Neji.

For months she had searched through endless shopping districts both in the village and out. She had looked through every shop, every bookstore, every bizarre... everywhere. In her head she had run through all of the things she could make, be they weapon, sweater, hats, scarves, anything. But nothing seemed good enough. At one point Tenten had even considered giving him her Sakabato, a reversed blade katana she had bought with her very first paycheck as a kunoichi.(2) It was a very special blade to her. Not because it was a collector's item now, but because it was the first weapon she had ever truly earned on her own. It was perhaps the most priceless possession that the kunoichi owned, but she was more than willing to let him have it if it could actually be of any use or meaning to him. In the end, however, Tenten had given up on the idea because ultimately that was just it, it _wouldn't_ have any meaning to Neji. He was a hands-on fighter; a close-combat, gentle-fist style fighter. He didn't need any weapons, so it made no sense to give it to him. Also, as beautiful as the weapon was, even good enough to just keep as a display, it was still missing it's one of a kind sheath. Tenten of course had looked for it for many years, but up until that point, she had yet to find it. Not that she could even afford it at that time, since it was more then likely very expensive, considering it too was part of the collectors item.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"hn." Neji looked back and forth between the clock on his nightstand and the seven-flute set on his bed.

There was the Hocchiku, a vertical end-blown flute crafted from root sections of bamboo; Nohkan, a high-pitched transverse bamboo flute used for Noh and Kabuki theater; Shakuhachi, a high-pitched vertical bamboo flute used for Zen meditation; Shinobue, a transverse folk bamboo flute; Tsuchibue, the earthen flute also known as an ocarina, which was often made of ceramic and occasionally wood, glass, clay, or metal; the dragon flute, Ryuteki, and another transverse bamboo flute named Kagurabue, both used for Shinto religious ceremonies.(3)

Neji had received this collection from his father as a very young child. They had belonged to his mother, who had been an Imperial flutist for the Fire Daimyo. She had come to play for the Hyuga clan leader when Neji's father had been a young man. According to Hizashi, the two had locked eyes and immediately fallen in love. She had left her life as a royal musician and married Neji's father almost immediately. From that moment on, she had only ever played for Hizashi, until the day of her death ,when Neji was still an infant.

It was because of his father's stories about his mother that Neji had a great fondness for the collection. He had never learned to play it, but he had always cherished it and taken good care of the set. Unfortunately, before he ever even received it, one of the eight pieces had gone missing. Originally they had all been together, but at some point Komabue, a transverse flute with six finger-holes used for court music, had been taken from the collection. The very same flute that Neji's mother had been playing the night she and her father had met.

The theory was that Komabue had been stolen. The eight-flute set had originally belonged to the Fire Daimyo, but when Neji's mother had announced she would be leaving her life as a musician behind to marry Hizashi, the Fire Lord had given Neji's mother the gift as a wedding present. Having been the Daimyo's personal collection, however, meant it was quite expensive. It had been made of the richest materials, fit for a Lord. Naturally, it would have attracted any thief to attempt to steal it. And unfortunately, that was likely what had occurred with Komabue.

"Shit!" Neji uncharacteristically cursed as his eyes fell back on the alarm clock.

He had gotten distracted again, lost in thought about the gift he had still not retrieved for the weapon's mistress. Quickly, he grabbed the flutes and put them into their gold-plated case. Grabbing his winter coat, Neji took the case in hand and headed out the door, rushing towards the village where he was supposed to meet up with Tenten very soon.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Made it!" the bun-haired girl panted as she reached the fountain in the center of the village square. She looked around, and noticed Neji had not yet arrived. "Good," she smiled, recomposing herself as she straightened her white winter jacket.

"What is?" a deep baritone voice called out from behind her.

Turning, with a big bright smile on her face, Tenten cheerfully leapt into the Hyuga's arms. "Neji!" she squealed, hugging onto him with her arms around his neck.

He chuckled softly at her reaction, leaning forward to brush his lips gently against hers. His nose was cold compared to hers, which was warm and rosy. "You look cute Tenten."

"Awww," she pulled him tighter, pecking his lips playfully as they continued to hold one another; giggling happily, without a care in the world, staring into each other's eyes as if they were the only two people in existence. "Oh!" the kunoichi pulled back and extended her hand out towards Neji. In it, she held a brightly colored gift bag with overflowing tissue paper. "For you."

Neji took the package from the girl, pulling out a long, tube-like package of his own, which he had had strapped to his back when he'd first run into the girl. "And this is for you," he replied, handing her the tube.

At the same time, the happy couple began unwrapping their gifts, in front of the large Christmas tree that stood where the shut down fountain usually was. Tenten's eyes immediately went wide when she saw what was inside of the tube. Reaching in, she turned to Neji with an loving gaze, touched by the gesture.

"It's a sheath," she softly stated. But it wasn't just any sheath, it was the sheath to the reversed blade katana she had sold to buy Neji the Komabue flute she had finally found at a local pawn shop.

"Ten..." Neji's voice trailed as emotional tears fell down his cheeks. In his hand, was the missing flute to the collection he had sold moments earlier to buy Tenten the one of a kind Sakabato sheath. "Thank you," he replied in a broken voice.

Tenten smiled. Seeing his reaction was the greatest gift she could have ever received. Wrapping her arms around his torso, she pulled herself into his chest and hugged him tightly. "Merry Christmas."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!**_

**(1)** You know the story... you may not know it by name, but you know the story.

**(2)** Sakabato = reverse blade katana, FICTIONAL sword... think Rurouni Kenshin.

**(3)** Thank you Wiki


	95. The Favor

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Naruto!

A/N: I don't know how to feel about the fact that my last chapter was my least reviewed chapter in the entire collection... I was really proud of it, and kind of a little disappointed that it obviously wasn't received as well as I thought it would be, but oh well I guess we all have our favs. ;p

**********IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE BOTTOM*********

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE FAVOR****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"I need a favor."

"Huh?" Tenten curiously turned her eyes away from the checkered board in front of her and stared questioningly at the boy who had just spoken.

"I need a favor," Shikamaru apathetically repeated, his eyes still focused on the game board situated between the two friends.

"Ok." She shrugged; not unsatisfied with the lack of explanation and build-up. That just wasn't the Nara's style. He was the type who simply said what was on his mind, regardless of who he may offend. No fanfare, no explanation; just straight to the point. That was actually one of the things the kunoichi liked about him. "What's up?" Tenten questioned; not asking for the why, but rather the what.

"I need you to asked Hyuga on a date tonight," Shikamaru nonchalantly replied.

"Wh-what?" Her eyes widened in shock upon hearing her younger friend's request. "What are you-"

"Temari." The lazy shinobi uncharacteristically cut in.

"What about her?" Tenten skeptically eyed the younger male, wondering what could possibly have gotten him to utter such an unexpected request; though a part of her could imagine, given the little he had already offered.

"She claims I'm anti-social," Shikamaru lazily replied; moving forward slightly to reposition one of his pieces on the board.

"And?" Tenten urged; having none of the usual patience she normally had for the younger man, as the 'favor' he had just requested was not something she could take as lightly as he seemed to be taking.

"The troublesome woman says she wants to go out on a 'couples date,'" he groaned; air quoting the last part of his reply.

"..." Tenten stared dumbfoundedly at the so called genius. "Neji and I aren't a couple," she coolly reminded him; trying her best to keep the tremor from her voice as she allowed herself to momentarily dwell on the pain of acknowledging her long-time crush was nothing more than a one-sided affair.

"I know that," Shikamaru matter-of-factly replied; turning up expectantly toward the bun-haired kunoichi, curtly nodding his head to indicate it was her turn to move on the checkered board. "But all the other couple's I know have at least one annoying person in the pair," he added quickly, before turning his face back down to the board.

She was about to protest and say it was rude to talk about their friends like that, but the truth was even Tenten couldn't argue against the fact that, on occasion, a few of their friends could get a bit difficult to handle. Still, what Shikamaru was asking her was not an easy matter. She had spent years pretending and trying to hide the fact that she had feelings for her Hyuga teammate. They were really good friends, and got along great together, so it wasn't as if she was afraid of going out as friends. But to ask him for a date, and maybe even to pretend that they were a couple was something else entirely. And the truth was, she just wasn't sure she was prepared for such a monumental action on such short notice. "I don't know..." Tenten managed a tiny whisper in reply after thinking about the request for only a moment.

"Just tell him you're doing a friend a favor." the lazy genius offered; stressing the word friend, as he knew the kunoichi well enough to know that, for a friend, she would do just about anything.

Sighing, Tenten meekly nodded her agreement.

The two continued playing the remainder of their game in contemplative silence. Inevitably, Tenten lost, but this time she made no fuss or demands of a rematch like she normally did. Her mind was busy elsewhere, and the Nara boy could tell, so he did not press the matter.

After helping to pick up the pieces of their game, and excusing herself from her friend's parents, Tenten wandered aimlessly through the village for a few good hours. Before she knew it, the sky was tinted in rose and violet hues, indicating that the sun was beginning to set. Unaware of how long she'd been walking, the bun-haired girl found herself in the middle of her team's training grounds, wondering how she had arrived there. She quickly dismissed the thought, however, when she remembered it was almost time for the so called double-date she had promised Shikamaru.

"Shika! I hate you!" Tenten cursed to the empty clearing, looking up at the cumulous clouds hovering above her in the purple sky, as if they represented her lazy friend.

She knew it was her own fault though. She never should have promised anything. And worse, she shouldn't have spent the whole day dreading it, leaving her with only an hour or two to find Neji, ask him, and then have both of them get ready to meet up at the restaurant where the Suna princess and her lazy boyfriend would be waiting for them. Of course none of this would be possible, if Tenten couldn't muster up the courage to ask her Hyuga teammate to go with her in the first place.

"AHH!" she groaned loudly, kicking a large pebble on the ground a good ten yards in front of her. "How can I ask Neji that?" she moaned, frustrated.

"Ask me what?" a soft, somber voice asked from the direction she had kicked the pebble, before the very same Hyuga she had been dreading to find, walked out from behind a tree, dropping the large pebble in front of him as he walked towards the kunoichi.

Tenten knew she shouldn't have been surprised, but just the same, seeing her teammate walk out from seemingly nowhere, she couldn't help but have her mouth hang wide in astonishment for a few seconds. She did manage to catch herself before Neji made it across the clearing to stand in front of her, but by then she was blushing profusely, only further adding to her embarrassment at the fact that she had been caught completely off guard, not to mention what it was she had to do next.

"Ask me what?" Neji repeated as he came to a stop in front of the bun-haired girl.

Smiling nervously, Tenten silently wondered what it was about today that these geniuses felt like repeating themselves to her. Did she really seem that distracted that they felt the need to make sure they were heard? Well, it wouldn't have surprised her really, considering the turmoil of raw emotion bubbling inside of her. She felt like her heart was trying desperately to beat its way out of her chest and escape, from how nervous, anxious, and a tiny bit overjoyed, yet utterly terrified, she felt.

Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Tenten fixed her gaze on the Hyuga's lavender tinted eyes and quickly began explaining to him why she had been cursing the Nara moments earlier. She explained how he had coerced her into promising him that she would ask Neji to go out with her so that Temari could have the 'couple's date' she desired. Upon seeing that his face showed not even the slightest of changes to everything she had told him, Tenten had begun to feel so unnerved under his unwavering gaze that she immediately began apologizing if it was of any inconvenience to him, and that she could easily go and ask Lee, or Kiba, or even Naruto to accompany her instead. But before she could finish her rambling that perhaps Lee wasn't such a good option because no one would ever believe she and Lee could ever be a couple considering they were much more like siblings, and then suggesting that maybe perhaps Naruto or Kiba would be a better option, Neji calmly, though somewhat sternly, replied that he would accompany her, and then turned to leave, informing her they would meet outside the restaurant in two hours.

Those two hours went by faster than any two hours Tenten had ever experienced in her life. And yet, at the same time, they were the most excruciatingly longest two hours of her life. She had changed at least a dozen times, before picking a simple red dress that she had only ever really worn once before, and that had been on a mission with Sakura and Ino. They had chosen the dress for her, and told her it made her look feminine and sexy, which had been a huge part of the mission, as they had been assigned to infiltrate a playboy prince's party to retrieve some top secret information. The dress had made her feel rather uncomfortable, since it had gathered so much attention from a lot of the lecherous old men that had been invited to the party, but it had also been useful in distracting all the key players long enough for Sakura and Ino to sneak into the backrooms to search for the documents. To say that Tenten hadn't considered that perhaps it might have the same, or at least _some_, effect on the Hyuga prodigy would have been a lie. Though she knew Neji wasn't the type who was swayed by carnal lust, Tenten couldn't help but hope, as tiny as that hope was, that even _he_ could succumb to the hormonal urges that plagued most nineteen year old guys. And maybe, just maybe, she hoped that it would open his eyes to the fact that she was not just a weapon-wielding-maniac, but that underneath all that metal was an actual, genuine, girl.

"Thanks again for doing this Neji." Tenten smiled nervously as the two teammates stood outside the sushi restaurant where they were to meet Shikamaru and Temari.

She was a little disappointed that Neji had scarcely reacted to her dress when they ran into each other outside the eatery. His eyebrows had only slightly risen for a moment when he first saw her, but then immediately went back to their original expressionless flatness. She couldn't at all read what that fraction of a second in his reaction had meant. Whether he thought she looked good, or was just surprised by her appearance, there was no way of telling. For all Tenten knew, it had just been her imagination; wishful thinking that he'd thought anything at all.

"Well, don't you clean up nicely?"

Quickly turning behind them, Tenten smiled slightly at the two new arrivals. It had been Temari who spoke, though to who exactly, the bun-haired girl wasn't quite sure of.

"Well?" the sand kunoichi poked her boyfriend's side, smirking playfully. "Tenten, you look gorgeous. Don't you think she looks gorgeous?" she turned expectantly towards the Nara.

Shikamaru, of course, was much too smart to reply. Instead, he gave Tenten a tiny nod which consisted mostly of him closing his eyes slowly and tilting his head down for a fraction of a second, before reopening his eyes and quickly turning to the Hyuga and greeting him with a bob of his head and a "Hey."

Ignoring the entire exchange, Temari shook her head and walked over to the bun-haired girl, latching her arm around the younger girl's arm and leading her into the restaurant. "Lets go, lets go, come on lazy boys!" she shouted behind her as the two kunoichi walked in and followed the waiter towards the booth they had had reserved for their evening out together.

As they sat down, Tenten couldn't help but blush. The booth they had reserved was in a corner. There were no chairs, just a curved red cushioned seat, with the two girls sitting in the middle, and their dates on either side. Temari had maneuvered them so that Tenten and Neji were practically on top of each other.

"Tenten," Temari jabbed her index and middle finger into the bun-haired girl's side as she called to her non-too-quietly. "Those two guys over there have been checking you out since we walked in," she gestured her head over to the table next to theirs.

Tenten blushed, picking up her menu to hide her discomfort. It was flattering, but it didn't really much matter to the weapons mistress, she wasn't interested in getting other guy's attentions at all.

"You don't look too bad yourself either," Temari smirked, looking over the younger girl's shoulder at her white-eyed date. "But I'm not surprised," she chuckled, "I'm always hearing about you from the girls around the village and the kunoichi from Suna who come here on missions," her smile widened, there was a twinkle of mischief in her eyes as she spoke. "I'm sure you've heard they think you're a major hottie... horrible temperament, but a pretty face. You know that right?"

Without missing a beat, Neji stared at his menu and replied, "I know."

Temari laughed, loud and unabashed. "And modest too!" she hollered, laughing for a good long while before eventually calming down and turning back toward the younger kunoichi. "Oh, I don't envy you at all Tenten-chan."

Tenten smiled meekly, not really sure what to reply. She turned to Shikamaru, who had been busy the whole time pretending to study his menu and ignoring his girlfriend's borderline flirtatious behavior. It didn't really surprise Tenten though. Shikamaru never did strike her as the jealous type. Truth was, out of the two, it was probably Temari who fell into jealous fits, especially considering the surprising number of admirers that the Nara boy had. Despite being one of the more average looking guys in their group of friends, Shikamaru probably had more admirers than Neji, Naruto, and Sai – the three most attractive guys in their group – combined. Perhaps it was his laid back personality, or nonchalant attitude. Or maybe the fact that he had one of the most beautiful woman in all the shinobi world completely in love with him. Whatever the reason, it was a fact that the Nara boy was one of the most sought after shinobi in the village, much to the displeasure of his possessively jealous long-distance girlfriend.

"I already have enough trouble keeping the stupid fangirl's off this one," Temari gestured back at her boyfriend, as she continued talking to Tenten. "I can't imagine how bad it must be with a pretty boy like yours." she smirked playfully, looking over at Shikamaru out of the corner of her eye as if waiting to see how the younger male would react to the implication that he was not a pretty boy.

Shikamaru of course had known what she was doing. Being the genius that he was, he simply continued looking down at his menu. "I'm ready to order," he monotonously stated after a few more minutes of studying the laminated paper. On his lips, a small playful smile discretely spread as he looked over triumphantly at the scowling blonde.

The rest of the meal continued amongst more teasing and laughter. The girls exchanged stories about their missions and teams and the rest of their friends, while Shikamaru and Neji generally remained quiet, providing the occasional comment when appropriate, but for the most part they stayed out of the conversation and ignored the many teasing jabs at them, most of which had come from the older girl.

At the end of the evening, the two couples parted ways outside the restaurant. Tenten waved to her two friends, then thanked Neji when the others were out of sight. After quickly saying her goodbyes and promising to return the jacket Neji had let her borrow when it began to get cold, Tenten had turned to walk back towards her house, which was in the opposite direction of the Hyuga compound. Much to her surprise, though it probably shouldn't have been, Neji followed close behind before stepping up to walk along side her.

No words were exchanged between the two teammates, though when it came down to it, no words were really necessary. They were a pair that were quite comfortable in silence.

It took about twenty minutes, at a relatively leisurely pace, for them to finally arrive at the front step of Tenten's house. When they arrived, all the lights were turned off, which was not at all surprising because as far as she knew, none of her family was currently home, since all of her brothers were away on missions at the moment.

"Thanks again for tonight," Tenten somewhat nervously replied as the two stopped in front of her door.

"You're welcome," Neji replied in a somewhat more soft and gentle tone than he normally spoke in, or at least it seemed so to her.

Tenten quickly dismissed it though. Surely it was more wishful thinking on her part. It had been a rather interesting evening. Something about it had just felt so right to her, but at the same time, it was almost depressing to think that way. Tonight had been a glimpse of what could be, but what she ultimately knew just wasn't meant to be, for so many reasons that she had come up with over the years, but that she didn't really want to think about at the moment.

It was a good day, and that was all that mattered.

"I had fun," she smiled up at the Hyuga as she pulled the borrowed jacket off her shoulders and handed it to him then quickly turned to unlock the door of her house.

"So did I," he replied, returning her smile with a gentle gaze as he held the door open to her.

Naturally, Tenten invited him in, just as she always did whenever he walked her home. There was something about familiar settings and surroundings, like their training grounds, or her house, where the two often spent a lot of time together, that put Tenten completely at ease. It was almost routine. Tenten would search the cabinets for cookies, while he put the tea to boil. Both of them brushing against one another as they passed back and forth, preparing their snack, before walking over to her living room and sitting down in front of the coffee table and relaxing into the couch.

"I guess it's nice from time to time to get all dressed up and have a night out," Tenten sighed, smiling as she went over the night's events in her mind while munching on a peanut butter cookie.

"I suppose," Neji nodded slowly, taking a sip of his tea before placing it back on the tray. "But," he slowly leaned towards the girl, brushing back a stray lock of hair from her face. "I think I prefer moments like these instead..."

While the bun-haired girl tried to hold back her blush and ignore the screaming excitement of her heart, telling herself not to read too much into what he said, elsewhere in the village, the sand kunoichi and her lazy boyfriend were curled up together under a thick blanket in the kunoichi's temporary housing.

"Hahah, did you see how quickly he offered her his jacket when I pointed out the guy who was checking her out?" Temari laughed heartily.

"Yeah, yeah," Shikamaru shook his head, wrapping his arms tighter from behind his girlfriend. "But this is as far as it goes, right?" he asked, hopeful, though knowing his girlfriend he could already predict what her answer would be.

"What?" Temari jerked her head to the side to look back at him. "This is just the beginning. Those two need some nudging. They'll eventually thank me for doing them the favor."

He wanted to tell her to just leave it alone, but knew it was pointless to argue. "Troublesome woman," he muttered under his breath.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**A/N**__ : I started this story... according to the date-stamp on the doc, I started this story back in March of LAST YEAR ;p... wow it sure took forever to finish it ;p most of it though was written late last night in the wee morning hours... but the first 500 or so words were from last year ;p_

* * *

*****IMPORTANT NOTE*****

**I'M PISSED! For the past few months I've been considering ending this collection and saying goodbye to it ... mostly cos it just seems that interest in my stories is dwindling so I figured I'd leave while I'm still hot and that's that. NOW however, I'm SO PISSED with some shithead little coward who left me a THREATENING review telling me to remember that NaruHina is the one and only Hinata pairing and I better remember "OR ELSE!" I have some choice words for that little brat but I'll keep them to myself. **

**I honestly have to say that there are a number of these idiots on the web that kill the fun out of writing and that's part of the reason I've been considering leaving. I would have left many many times already if not for the fact that I know there are some true fans out there, and I LOVE my readers. Nothing brings me greater joy than to see in my inbox a review alert to a story I spent countless hours putting together. But I'm fed up. I'm fed up with the jerks. I'm fed up with the backhanded compliments. I'm just... over it.**

**I'm not sure if this means this was officially the last chapter and it's over, or if I'm going to close it off to chapter 100 and then that's it... but I'm seriously considering just being done with this all...**


	96. Breathe Again

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

**A/N**: THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR WONDERFUL, AMAZING, HEARTFELT SUPPORTIVE MESSAGES... I REALLY REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT...**There's a note at the bottom for you all. Thank you again. Please enjoy this fic. I wrote it for all of you who sent me your loving support.**

**PS:** for those of you who are fans of the NEJITEN forum on NARUTOFAN, you probably know that it's down, until it comes back up, I'd like to suggest Nejitenplz's forums at **http : / / nejitenplz . topic - zone . com / **(obviously without the spaces)... there will also be a link to it on my profile. Hope to see you guys there!

**

* * *

**

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
BREATHE AGAIN**_**  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

He watched in terror as the cold rushing water bubbled up and around the bun-haired girl.

It wrapped around her legs like a translucent eel. The clone in front of her held it's arms out, directing the water to swirl around her body, forming a spherical capsule with which to trap her in. As the bubble formed, the pressure of the water crashed violently around the kunoichi's petite frame, pushing the air out of her lungs as it tightened around her and held her in place.

The same thing was happening to him, and to the bowl-haired boy standing to his left. But the Hyuga's eyes never left Tenten, as he searched frantically in his head for a way, any way, that he could come up with to release them from the engulfing waters.

Outside of their water prisons, Gai was fighting the unnamed man who bore a striking resemblance to something closer to an aquatic beast than an actual human being. His skin was pale and grayish, like that of a corpse; eyes sharp and piercing, similar to those of a beast of prey; jagged pointed teeth and three black lines under each eye, that appeared to be gills on his face gave the man a shark-like look. It was, however, the blood-lust he saw in the gray-skinned man's eyes, as he stared at their sensei's injured hands, that made Neji wonder if perhaps it was more than just an outward appearance. A creepy smile spread across the unfamiliar man's face as he explained the nature of his weapon, all the while continuing to fix his eyes on the blood gushing out from Gai's hands, where said weapon had cut deep gashes into the flesh.

'_He shouldn't have touched it_,' Neji thought of his sensei's careless actions at grabbing hold of an unfamiliar weapon. Of course no one would have ever suspected that a weapon could instinctively react, almost as if it were alive, and immediately recognize the wielder was not it's master. Still, it had been a mistake, and he could tell from Gai's face that the older man believed the same as well.

Turning his attention back towards Tenten, Neji saw her struggle to remain composed. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, smiling meekly as if to tell him not to worry.

'_Ten..._' he smiled back, hoping it had been at least somewhat reassuring, though in the back of his mind, his anxiety was building as he saw more little bubbles escape the kunoichi's lips.

Her jaw tightened, but she continued to pretend. Trying hard to not give away the fact that the water's pressure had already pushed out what little air she had swallowed before they had been engulfed in their water prisons.

'_This isn't good..._' Neji inwardly groaned. He quickly reactivated his byakugan, hoping to see some weak point in the water.

But there was none.

It was a perfect prison. No way to be broken, except from the outside. But that was not likely to happen. Gai had pulled out his nunchaku, a weapon he only ever pulled out when he was in desperate need.

'_The enemy is indeed powerful then_,' the white-eyed boy reasoned, realizing then that it was highly unlikely Gai would be able to break them lose from the outside. But there had to be another way.

Neji wasn't the type who gave up easily. None of them were. He was certain, to his left, Lee was undoubtedly fighting against the water's pressure, attempting to use his brute strength to break through the jutsu and release them all. On his right, despite the fact that she was growing weaker by the second, it was doubtful Tenten wasn't coming up with as many maneuvers as she could, to try and figure out a weak spot to the water bubble imprisoning them.

He couldn't stop there either.

Using his byakugan, Neji carefully searched for anything. A crack, a ripple, anything at all in the chakra flowing within the water that surrounded them. That was the key to the technique. And unfortunately, the only other person he had ever seen with that much chakra before was Naruto. This man, whoever he was, appeared to be on-par with a tailed beast. That was clearly going to make things much more difficult for them.

"ack," a cough from his right forced his attention back on the bun-haired girl.

'_This isn't good, she's reached her limit._'

Turning his eyes to his left, Neji watched as Lee's jaw tightened and his eyes closed shut. He was clearly as agitated as the white-eyed genius, having also realized that Tenten was out of time. If something was to be done, it had to be done soon.

At that very moment, as the Hyuga frantically searched his mind for a way to save the kunoichi from the water now rushing into her lungs, a strong pressure from the bottom of the jutsu-made lake began pushing the water up in powerful blasts. The chakra was familiar, and Neji instantly recognized it.

It was Gai.

He had released six of his lotus gates. As a result, columns of water were shooting up into the air, disturbing the flow of water around them.

And that was it.

That was all Neji needed to instantly form a plan in his mind and quickly implement it.

He watched the clone in front of him, waiting as the shark-like creature turned to face the unfamiliar presence of Gai's released chakra. In a moment of distraction, the chakra flow that was holding the water circling around the Hyuga weakened. It was only a split second, but it was enough for Neji to move, and to strike. And he did just that. Instantly he fell into his stance and began his six-trigrams, sixty-four palms attack. Knowing that he would have to fight the clone before he could reach over and release Tenten, he gave a quick kick over in Lee's direction, freeing the bowl-haired boy from his prison. Before Neji could even finish his last rotation, Lee, with his lightning-quick speed, attacked the clones and released Tenten, just in time for Neji to run to her side and catch her as she fell forward; out of breath and out of time.

'_Tenten,_' he yelled in his mind, holding the girl in his arms, desperately searching for any sign that she was still breathing.

But she wasn't.

Her lungs, which had been freed of air since the moment they had been trapped in the water, had given way to the rush of liquid, moments earlier. Neji's activated byakugan told him she was still alive, but her chest wasn't moving, and he couldn't hear her breathing.

"Tenten," his eyes darted back and forth, as he pulled her closer. "Are you okay?" he asked. There was a tiny hint of fear in his voice, as he tried desperately to control himself, though inwardly his heart was beating erratically, waiting as the seconds ticked by, feeling more like an eternity than the quick moment that it actually was.

"Yeah," the soft sweet voice of the kunoichi gasped out, releasing Neji's held breath as he relaxed in the knowledge that she was alive. "Thanks Neji," Tenten whispered, pulling herself back up as she quickly coughed out the water that she had swallowed. "I owe you," she looked up at him with a grateful smile, her arm draped over his shoulder, propping her up as she slowly began breathing steadily again.

"You saved us," Lee grinned in the background, holding his thumb up as a sign of victory.

"Hn," Neji grunted, unable to say anything else as he tried to free himself of the painful swelling in his chest at the thought of what could have been...

As the three younger ninja caught their breath, they watched their sensei fight the shark-man. It was intense, but from the moment Gai had opened the first gate, they knew what the outcome of the battle would be. And sure enough, just as expected, Gai had defeated the other man, and soon the water around them disappeared. What they had not expected, however, was the dead man who had been used to fight them. Some jutsu they did not know, had allowed the shark-man to battle them from some unknown location, using the corpse of a Suna jounin.

That night, as Neji stared into the fire, watching as the flickering flames danced happily in the blackness of the night, he wondered who that man was. For an hour during his guard-shift, the Hyuga recreated the day's events in his mind, trying hard to focus on who the shark-man was and how it was he possessed so much chakra in him to not only possess a corpse but also to be able to use his own techniques in a foreign body. Each time he tried to think about it, however, his mind continued to drift back to the image of Tenten trapped in the water.

The image was always, inevitably, accompanied by a stabbing pain in his chest. It hurt him to think that he had almost lost her then, and so Neji tried not to think about it, and focused instead on the gray-skinned man and on figuring out a way to defeat the jutsu more effectively, if by chance they should ever run into him again.

"Hey," a tiny whisper behind him called out as two thin arms, covered by a warm blanket, wrapped themselves around the Hyuga's back. "Your shoulders look sad," Tenten whispered in his ear, as her chin came to rest on his left shoulder.

Neji smiled, chuckling softly under his breath. "How exactly do shoulders look sad?" he questioned her, keeping his voice low so that the two sleeping members of their team wouldn't wake from their slumber. But from the snoring in their tents, it didn't seem likely anything would wake those two, so they probably needn't whisper.

"Don't know," she shrugged against him, her arms squeezing just so slightly around him as she did. "But yours do."

He would have argued against the idea that a body part could feel emotion, but the truth was, he probably _was_ sad, and no one knew how to read him better than the girl currently kneeling behind him. If anyone could see sadness in his shoulders, it would be her. "I was afraid I'd lost you..." he painfully admitted after a long pause.

"I know," she simply replied, tilting her head to rest her cheek on his shoulder as she carefully examined his face from the side.

There was a flash of something in her eyes, as if she knew what it was he felt. Remembering the time he had been on the verge of death after he and a few of their friends had gone out to try and bring the runaway Uchiha back, many years ago, Neji realized she _did_ know how it felt.

"I'm sorry," he quietly choked out, an overdue apology for having put her through those hours of anguish as the medics operated on him, not knowing whether he would live or die.

In response, the bun-haired girl smiled. She lifted her head back up, leaning forward and gently kissed his cheek. "Me too," Tenten smiled that special smile that she only ever used for him. "And thank you."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

_**

* * *

**_

**_NOTE: First of all, I want to say THANK YOU. _**

_Yesterday I was very, very angry. And it wasn't just because of the one review (though a few people seemed to have misunderstood that, sorry ^^' ). It was a lot of things. Over the years, I've gotten A LOT of those stupid comments. A lot of mean and spiteful comments, and A LOT of back-handed compliments that aren't very nice. Most recently there was one that really got to me, from someone who is a very good writer who told me that I don't know how to write Romance at all, and that was hurtful because well it's kind of true, I mostly do comedy with a light bit of fluff in it. Nonetheless, it was still a bit harsh._

_Just the same, I do get nice comments, friendly, kind, and truly touching comments... and I get these more often than not, but the thing is, yesterday I was just really annoyed and thought, "I don't need this"... I really don't. I don't need to put up with the bashing and insensitivity of some jerks out there, and that's why I had decided maybe it as time to just retire from fanfiction. I didn't, however, expect such a HUGE response from my rant. I mean, I expected a few people might say "no, don't leave" and "we'll miss you" and the like, but the number of messages I had in my inbox this morning... I was shocked. And I kept getting more and more and more throughout the day. They were filled with so much love and support, it … it was touching. I realized THIS is why I haven't left. I mean, the thought of writing _just for me_ and not posting it anywhere so that I wouldn't have to deal with the negative side of fanfic writing has occurred to me many times in the past. But I continued to post because it's you wonderful people who send me those messages and well wishes that make it all worth it, and I guess I just have to remember that there will always be idiots out there, and I just need to learn to develop a thicker skin._

_I'm still not sure if I want to continue on, because there are still some things that really bother me, and I'm thinking maybe it's time for me to move on and focus on my own writing, but... for sure I'll get to chapter 100 in this collection. And well... I think I'll give myself until then to make any final decisions. _

_Again, THANK YOU all very much for your support. I really really do appreciate it. _

_- Evy_

_

* * *

_

(also, some of you may notice this is the "new" chapter 95.. it's because I deleted chapter 32 which was never a chapter, it was an author's note... I want the chapter-count to be accurate when I reach 100).

oops... i just realized that because I deleted chapter 32 (the Author's note), the review count is off... if anyone wanted to review this chapter but had reviewed "THE FAVOR" they won't be able to... sorry ^^; ... you can always review anonymously, or go back to chapter 94 which was "Gift of the Magi" in the previous set up... mmm maybe I shouldn't have deleted it after all...)

* * *

**EDIT : I apolgize for all the flipflopping of chapters... i had to fix what I broke, and have now reorganized it and am very happy with it. thanks for your patience... if anyone's curious the "added" chapter was **CHAPTER 32!


	97. Don't Panic

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

_**A/N : **_**I received an apology.** I appreciate it. I do want to let everyone who has given me words of encouragement and told me how much they enjoy my stories that I am reconsidering my decision. There are still quite a number of things that I don't like (including the back-handed compliments, and people telling me what I should and shouldn't do in MY own stories, and the occasional "I hate xyz" and it doesn't help that even on deviantart, I'm getting people telling me my art is ugly), but I am reconsidering because there are some GOOD things about what I do that I still enjoy. They're not always as obvious as the bad things, but they're there, and I need to learn to appreciate them more and ignore that bad ones. **Thank you again for all your kind words and support.**

I hope you all enjoy this story, it was fun to write. :D

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
DON'T PANIC**_**  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

"Okay, don't panic."

Those were the words that came out of his girlfriend's mouth, as Neji sat at his desk, drinking a cup of tea, moments before the bun-haired girl burst in.

A million and one thoughts ran through the Hyuga's mind as he wondered what to make of that innocuous, yet utterly terrifying phrase.

Did someone get hurt? Or maybe someone died? But would Tenten really burst into his room in such a manner to tell him that? It seemed more likely she would have a solemn expression on her face if she had come to deliver such unpleasant news. Taking that into account, it clearly meant whatever she had come to tell him wasn't of such grave magnitude. But still, 'don't panic' wasn't exactly something a person said lightly, and certainly not something to be said about _good_ news.

What else could it be? Another war? No, that too seemed much too serious to be announced in such a simple manner. And also, she had said not to panic, normally one would let a little panic set in when it came to something like war.

So then what?

Was it about them? There relationship had seemed fine to Neji, so he couldn't imagine it had anything to do with them, but what if it did?

Terror flashed through the Hyuga's face as he wondered... was she pregnant? That seemed serious, yet not so tragic, enough for the words. But no, Tenten couldn't have been pregnant... they hadn't gotten that far in their relationship...

Why he had even considered that seems somewhat illogical now that Neji thought about it, but that's just the kind of reaction one had when faced with the words 'don't panic.' Logic and reason fell by the wayside. For instance, the thought that there was _that_ red-head to be considered. He'd been chasing after Tenten for months. And it was only yesterday that she returned from a mission in Suna...

'No.' Neji stopped himself and shook his head vigorously.

That couldn't be it. Even if the kazekage had feelings for the bun-haired girl, Neji was certain Tenten would never do that to him.

Never!

"I said don't panic!" her even voice called out again, this time more calmly, but with as much seriousness as the first time she had said it.

Neji turned and faced her. "I'm not," he replied, putting his cup down on the coaster.

"You are!" she responded, staring at him with those intense, penetrating eyes of hers, that never seemed to miss anything.

"I'm not," he denied again, tapping his fingers impatiently on his desk, as if to indicate that he was waiting for her to continue what she had barged in to say.

"I can see it, all over your face."

If he had been anyone else, Neji would have likely turned to look into the mirror opposite his wall at that moment to see just exactly what it was the bun-haired girl was talking about. But he wasn't anyone else. He was Hyuga Neji, and he didn't doubt his face was calm and collected, in the same expression worn by all Hyuga clansmen; an unemotional mask every Hyuga learned to used since the moment they become branded by the burden of their name. The fact notwithstanding, Neji was also well aware that if there was anyone in the world that could read the imperceptible micro-expressions in his face, it was the very girl currently standing in front of him, with a worried look in her eyes, telling him to stay calm.

"Tell me what you've come to say," Neji responded, choosing to ignore the fact that the more she told him not to panic, the more she was creating apprehension inside of his spirit over what it was that she was there for.

"You promise not to panic?" she anxiously asked, in a slow and cautious tone.

"Tenten..." Neji stared firmly, his eyes fixed directly on hers. "You're stalling."

The girl stiffened at his response, her back straightening as she locked her knees and stood to attention. "That's because you're already panicking and I haven't even told you what it's about," she accusingly pointed at him.

"I am not-" Neji once more began to argue that he wasn't panicking, but when he realized that was exactly what she wanted him to do, he stopped himself. She was stalling, and he wasn't about to help her. "Just tell me."

"I... I kamanaana"

"..." He stayed silent for a moment, wondering if he missed something, or if his girlfriend had merely be clearing her throat. But as the silence dragged on, he knew she wouldn't be saying any more. "Pardon me?" he waited again, knowing she'd understand that he hadn't quite made out what she had said.

"I kinofsorofloslee" she repeated again, her voice slightly louder this time, but the mumbling continued after the word 'I' and up to the 'ee' sound at the end.

"... Say again?"

She was looking at him, but not looking at him. Her eyes wandering around his face, over his head, on his chin, everywhere and anywhere, except for his eyes. Whatever it was, it was clear to Neji, she was ashamed.

Trying to seem as reassuring as possible, Neji stood and walked over toward the kunoichi. Slowly, he took her hand in his, and with his other hand, cupped her chin and pointed her face so that she was looking directly into his eyes.

"Ten." He spoke her name gently, calling her by the shorten nickname he used when it was just the two of them together.

"I..." Tenten began, inhale and exhaling deeply as she stared into his lavender tinted eyes. Hesitantly, she began. "I... kind of, sort of … lost Lee." she whispered the last part very quietly, but Neji had heard it nonetheless.

"You... lost... Lee...?" he repeated, unsure of what to make of this.

No, he didn't panic. There was really no reason to. In fact, he had had more reason to panic when she walked into his room and told him not to panic, than at the actual reason for said statement.

"You lost Lee." he repeated again, this time not in the form of a question, but more just a statement of the facts. Facts, which the Hyuga had yet to comprehend as to why they would have led the bun-haired kunoichi to search for him and cause an alarm. "You lost Lee."

"mhm." Tenten nodded hesitantly. The worry in her eyes that had been present ever since the moment she walked into his bedroom was still clear and present, but the reason behind it was no more obvious then it had been when she stated that he should not panic.

"In the village?" he asked, attempting to clarify that this was not some mission she was talking about that perhaps he had not been informed of. It wasn't likely, but occasionally it did happen that they had to go on impromptu missions without being able to inform one another before leaving. Neji doubted that was the case, but he wanted to make sure just as a precaution.

"Yeah," she slowly nodded.

She lost Lee... in the village... during peace time... That hardly seemed reason for panic, yet just the same, the bun-haired girl looked deeply disturbed.

"I'm missing something," Neji stated, as he brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest.

"mmm," Tenten hesitated, chewing nervously on her bottom lip as she once more avoided her boyfriend's gaze.

"Well?" the Hyuga's left eyebrow arched as he waited patiently for her to continue.

"We..." she turned her eyes down to her feet, as she nervously shuffled them on the white carpet, watching with utmost concentration, as if her pastel pink socks were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. "We happened to run into each other around noon... and..."

Neji remained impassive, attempting to stay quiet and calm, for her sake more than his own. He wondered what exactly could have happened to make her to reluctant to tell him what was going on. It was just Lee for goodness sake! The most trouble he could get into in the village was...

"He didn't..." Neji stiffened, his eyes widening in terror.

"I'm sorry. I only took my eyes off of him for a second, and neither of us noticed the waitress accidently placing the bottle at our table... "

Before she could even finish, the Hyuga was out the door, clumsily slipping on his shoes as he ran towards the compound gates, activating his byakugan, searching for his inebriated best friend, hoping, against hope, that he wasn't currently picking a fight with random strangers, and causing havoc around the village.

Don't panic?

When it came to a drunk Lee, telling any member of Team Gai not to panic, was like telling the earth not to turn.

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_


	98. Girls Night

**Disclaimer**: Naurto © Kishimoto

**A/N**: It took roughly 4 hours to write and edit (and take a break), but here it is... and early too... I was going to wait, but thought about it, why wait? Here's my V-day fic, 2 days early... there is Fanart for it on DeviantArt. com … and a recording of me as I wrote it ;p heheh get to hear my process, if anyone's interested ;p - **http : / / www. filefactory . com / file / b5625af / n / GirlsNight - writingprocess . wav **(without the spaces obviously)

* * *

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
GIRLS NIGHT  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

_'Roses are red, violets are blue, your smile is pretty, and so are you.'_

"Hahaha," Tenten laughed as she looked at the poem on the little pink piece of paper tucked into the mirror she was standing in front of.

More little pieces of paper decorated all sides of the mirror. Some of them were old and crinkled, worn out with time, and others were newer and crisper. Some had lengthy detailed poems and letters, while other more childish unrefined doodles or simple lines like the poem she had just finished reading. But all of them, from the eloquently written two page letter that was her most recent acquisition, to the faded red heart that was the oldest of her collection, meant just as much to the bun-haired kunoichi because they all came from the same person. The same person who, without fail, had delivered each piece of paper, along with a single white rose, to the weapons mistress's front door for the last fifteen years on Valentines Day.

It wasn't until last year, however, that Tenten had found out who her Mysterious Valentine was. Actually, she hadn't even found out who he was until a month later, though all of her friends had apparently figured it out before her. Tenten had only really discovered who her secret admirer was when she and Neji had been sitting in the training fields, talking about the love letters she kept receiving. She never would have imagined that the one sending her those letters had been so close to her all along. But, after he told her, looking back on each of the little pieces of paper, and what was written on them, it was obvious that the only one who knew her that well, who could see her that clearly, could only have been the same man that she had fallen in love with long ago...

"Neji," Tenten cheerfully whispered, her eyes twinkling as she looked over at the picture of them, dancing together at the village's annual winter party, one of the rare times that they had shown any sign of their relationship to others. For the most part, they had decided it was something they would keep to themselves until the time was right, so as far as the village and their friends were concerned, Neji and Tenten were still just teammates and friends.

"TENTEN!" a yell at her door, followed by loud banging, shook the kunoichi out of her happy musings.

It wasn't the voice she had expected to hear.

"Ino? Sakura?" the bun-haired girl questioned as she arrived at her front door and opened it to find the two younger girls looking at her curiously.

"Oh! So you did get my message!" the blonde girl beamed, as she invited herself in, pushing passed the brunette into her small apartment with a bottle of what appeared to be sake.

"Huh? What?" Tenten looked over at the Yamanaka girl questioningly, not quite understanding what it was the girl was talking about.

"My letter!" Ino replied, "You got it right?" she looked the bun-haired kunoichi up and down, eyeing her red cocktail dress with a hint of approval. She and Sakura were basically dressed the same, in nice clothes, their hair made up, and a small splash of color on their faces.

Neither of them had dates this year, as Tenten had learned from all the constant complaining the blonde girl had done after she had exhausted her little black book looking for someone, anyone, to go out with on this day. So why they were both all dressed up, and most importantly, at her place, the weapons mistress couldn't even begin to fathom... or rather, she didn't want to, but a nagging little voice in the back of her head told her that she already knew what was coming.

"Sorry Tenten," the pink haired medic shrugged as she walked in the room, carrying another bottle of sake along with her. "Ino kind of got started on the 'celebration' before we got here," she added, explaining why the blonde girl was just a little bit louder and a little bit more annoying than she usually was.

"O...kay..." Tenten replied, giving both girls an equally confused look. "Why, exactly, are the two of you here?" she asked, though a part of her suspected the reason.

"I told you already!" Ino slurred, walking over to the couch in a somewhat clumsy manner, verifying that she clearly had had too much to drink already. "We single girls have to stick together!" she loudly yelled out, before plopping herself down on the couch, the bottle of sake coming up to her lips shortly after.

She had guessed right. Though no one had told her about this, Tenten was a clever girl. As far as everyone knew she, along with the two other girls in her apartment, were single. It was Valentines day, the biggest couple's day of the year. And no one liked to be alone in their misery. She could put two and two together.

"Ah... about that," Tenten began.

Although everyone knew that Neji had been the bun-haired girl's secret admirer for many years, none of them knew that the two sparring partners had begun dating shortly after Neji confessed this to her. This of course was because none of their friends had ever dared tell Tenten about Neji, and the only one of them that she had confided about the confession, was the white-eyed girl that was missing from their group at that moment. And Hinata, being Hinata, had never felt the need to spread the gossip around. So, with the exception of a few of their more observant friends, namely Shikamaru and Shino, the rest of them had no clue that Neji and Tenten were now a couple. Naturally the two girls, whining about being dateless on the bun-haired girl's couch, obviously had no idea that she, like their timid blue-haired friend who was currently out on a date with her fang-faced boyfriend, was also not available to join them on their 'I-hate-Valentine's-day' pity party, which was obviously what the two of them had planned for the evening.

"Oh no!" Ino yelled out mournfully.

"What's wrong?" Sakura turned to her blonde best friend, neither of them paying any attention to the bun-haired girl who had been trying to tell them something.

"We're out of sake!" the blonde whimpered, turning the bottle upside-down as proof of what she had just said. "Do you have any more Tenten?" she turned and looked over at the older girl with pleading eyes.

"What?" the weapons mistress gave her two friends an incredulous look. Did they not realize she was about to kick them out? Or was it that they just didn't care? "No," she shook her head, sighing dejectedly. Tenten didn't really want to rub it in their faces that she had a date and they didn't, plus there was the matter of them being drunk and clearly very emotional to contend with. When she let them down, it would have to be as gently as possible. "Listen, I know you girls had planned on us hanging out here tonight, but-"

"We should go buy some more!" Ino shouted, jumping back up to her feet , ignoring the older girl's protests as she rearranged her purple party dress.

"We could go out to eat too," Sakura suggested, putting the other empty bottle of sake on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Good idea, I'm starving," the blonde agreed, before walking up to Tenten and latching herself around the girl's right arm, pulling her along with them towards the front door.

"Wait, I-" Tenten began protesting, but her cries fell on deaf ears, as the two girls dragged her out into the Village streets, pulling her along against her will.

Under normal circumstances, Tenten would have easily been able to get away from just about anyone, but considering who her opponents were, both of them having trained under the fifth Hokage, the fact that they were a bit (or a lot) inebriated, and in an 'angry-at-the-world' mental state, their super strength had apparently kicked in, and the bun-haired kunoichi couldn't seem to pull herself away from their fierce grasp.

"Oi!" a familiar voice yelled out as the three girls entered the restaurant district. "Sakura-chan! Ino-san!" the blonde shinobi yelled out from his favorite ramen stand.

"Naruto?" Sakura turned to face said boy, as she continued grasping firmly onto the weapons mistress's left arm. "What do you want?" she gave him a cold glare, clearly pissed that the clueless boy had neglected to ask her out like she had wanted, and more importantly, been hinting at him to, all month.

"Eating dinner!" he thoughtlessly replied, not even considering that the pink-haired girl would just get madder at the fact that he went out on his own. "You look really pretty Sakura-chan," he blushed, as he gazed at the girl in her aqua-colored dress, a little embarrassed, but certainly not timid enough to stop himself from making such an observation.

"You all look really pretty!" the bowl-haired boy standing next to Naruto smiled, though his eyes were also on the pink-haired girl, as he'd been crushing on the medic-nin for many years. And though it was obvious to everyone that she had developed feelings for her blonde teammate, Lee just wasn't the type to give up so easily; he had, after all, known she liked the traitorous Uchiha back when he first confessed to her, and didn't give up then, he certainly wasn't going to give up now.

"Is there a special reason you are all dressed up?" Sai asked from the opposite side of his blonde teammate, where Shikamaru and Chouji, who, despite usually being more interested in other things like food or naps, curiously turned to take a look at the pretty girls; they were still boys after all.

"Ah, yeah, about that," Tenten began, inwardly thanking Sai for setting up a good opportunity to tell the girls that she had other plans than participating in their boy-bashing activities.

"That doesn't concern you!" Ino replied, interrupting her bun-haired friend.

She wasn't just yelling at Sai for no reason though. Actually, the blonde girl had asked the socially inept boy to go out with her on that day, among the many others she'd asked, but the boy had told her he didn't understand the concept of Valentines day and Ino had taken it to mean that he didn't want to go out with her. As a result, the blonde girl was now quite pissed off at the mid-drift wearing boy, though he apparently didn't seem to know or understand, why that was.

"Tch, troublesome women, always yelling," the muffled voice of the blonde's teammate called out before he laid his head back down on the counter of the Ichiraku, deciding to ignore the whole exchange, though he did feel a bit sorry for the poor girl stuck in the middle, as he could tell she was struggling to get away from the other two.

"Hey, where's Hinata?" Chouji absent-mindedly asked, noting the missing presence of their other kunoichi friend.

"She had plans," Sakura sadly replied, a hint of jealousy in her voice that Hinata, the shyest of them all, had managed to make plans for the big day while they couldn't. But then again, Hinata was the only one amongst them to have a boyfriend, at least as far as the pink-haired girl knew, so it was only natural that she would have someone to celebrate with.

"Traitor!" Ino yelled out in a broken voice, also a bit jealous, but inwardly happy for her timid friend.

The boys looked on, a bit confused and scared. Though it hadn't been obvious at first, the excessively emotional state, coupled with the fact that both the blonde and pink haired girls seemed to be holding themselves against Tenten for support, eventually made the guys realize that Ino and Sakura were both drunk on sake.

"Umm... Sakura-chan, Ino-san," Naruto hesitantly began. "Do you guys want to join us to eat?" he asked, mostly out of concern for his pink-haired teammate, after all if she were wandering the streets in her current state, who knew what kind of trouble she could get into. Either that, or she could cause trouble, and Naruto knew he would get blamed if the Hokage found out he had seen Sakura drunk and hadn't done anything to prevent any mishaps.

"Oh, NOW he asks!" Sakura spat out angrily, turning to Ino, who nodded her head, seemingly agreeing with something the pink-haired girl had not said, but which they both seemed to understand.

"That's right! We three have to stick together!" Ino loudly exclaimed, squeezing Tenten's arm, as her pink-haired best friend squeezed the other.

"That's ENOUGH!" the bun-haired girl finally yelled out of frustration, her anger at being ignored all night giving her the strength to pull away from the two tipsy girls. "You two haven't been listening to a single thing I've tried to say tonight!" she accusingly pointed as she took a few steps back. "I'm sorry your plans fell through Ino," she addressed the blonde, who she knew had original had a date, but the jounin she'd been dating had dumped her a week before, which only added to the poor girl's pain. "And you!" she turned to the pink-haired medic. "Just tell that idiot you love him already!" she pointed at said idiot as she yelled, though Naruto didn't seem to get what was going on, nor did the other boys who just stared in amazement, never before having seen the bun-haired girl lose her temper like that. "And you jerks!" she turned her wrath on the five boys quivering a few feet away, who weren't even sure what they had done, but nonetheless felt like they needed to apologize and soon! "It's Valentine's Day! Get your heads out of you asses and ask the girl you like out before they go and get themselves wasted on chocolate and sake!"

Everyone stayed perfectly still, silence completely by the weapons mistress's sudden outburst. Lee, who had been witness to his teammate's wrath on a few occasions, had completely missed the point, however, as he broke into tears of joy, proud of the youthful display of honesty his kunoichi teammate had just displayed. "Gai-sensei would be so proud!" his broken voice cried out, before Lee swiftly ran off in the direction of his spandex-wearing sensei's house to inform him of how youthful their precious flower had just been, in yelling at all their friends.

"I agree, he would," a deep familiar voice called out from behind the kunoichi, as the others continued to stare in awe, and a little fear, at the petite girl's violent outburst.

Tenten spun around, surprised to see her sparring partner behind her. "Neji!" she gasped, unsure of what to really say. She didn't want to blame her two friends for having not been in her apartment in time to meet her white-eyed teammate, though in fact it was their fault. "I'm sorry I-"

"It's okay," Neji smiled. "I believe I've understood the situation."

Behind them, the others watched curiously, though the two teammates seemed to be in their own little world now, barely even registering the fact that the others were even there.

"Shall we go?" Neji offered his arm to the bun-haired girl, in a gentlemanly gesture of invitation, that she should choose to accompany him, instead of being forced away like she had been by the two younger girls who had dragged her out of her apartment earlier.

"Yes, please," Tenten smiled, taking his arm, and wrapping her's under and around it.

"For you," the Hyuga held out a white rose, with a small piece of paper attached to the stem.

She took the rose, bringing it up for her to smell as the two soon began walking away, arm in arm, to celebrate their first Valentine's Day together as a couple, leaving their six younger friends behind, who finally realized what Tenten had been trying to say all night long...

Ino and Sakura exchanged looks. "She had a date for Valentines all along?"

Next to them, the lazy Nara's head shot up, his eyes wide with terror "Shit!"(1)

**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
THE END  
-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**

* * *

(1) That, and a lot of other little hints throughout the fic, was a throwback to "MYSTERIOUS VALENTINE" which I wrote 3 years ago... wow... time flies.

**HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!**


	99. Surprise

**NOTE** to Anonymous review** GAARANEJITENKAKASHILUV ... I'm glad you enjoy my stories, but CREDIT ME for my poem or take it down! **And next time, ask me before publishing my work as your own (which is **art theft**!) on another site.

* * *

**Naruto ©****Kishimoto**

**A/N**: omg I can't believe it's chapter 99 already!... Just one more to go and I think I know what the last one is going to be about... but it might be a while before it's out because I really want to make it a good one.

This one, however, is not without it's good too ;p

It has one of my favorite OCs (whose story I PROMISE to get back to soon). I also wanted to do Ryoku, but Ryoku would be hard to have pulled off without messing up the storyline, this chapter happens between the last chapter of the Koudo Trilogy and the first chapter of HEART OF DECEPTION (there was a year between those so, it works!)

* * *

**SURPRISE**

* * *

"Oi! Pretty boy!" the bellowing voice of the twenty-six-year old man standing on Neji's shoulders called down to him. Why they couldn't just use a ladder, or some jutsu to climb up to the high-rising ceiling, the Hyuga didn't quite know. What he did know, was that when he asked, Koudo had replied with a scoffing sound, before positioning Neji under the entrance to the large ballroom and telling him to stand still as he climbed up his back. "Pretty boy!" he called out again, using a nickname which Neji hated replying too, but he knew the older shinobi well enough to realize they wouldn't be moving forward until he did.

"What?" He begrudgingly replied, turning his eyes up to see the older man staring down at him.

"Hand me that rope," Koudo pointed over to the long white rope over on the other side of the ballroom.

"How-" Neji began to ask how he was expected to grab a rope that wasn't anywhere near them, while at the same time holding up the older man - who was deceptively heavier than he appeared to be - and also string together the decorations Koudo had handed him earlier, while telling Neji to make himself useful assembling.

This wasn't how the Hyuga prodigy had been expecting to spend his day. His plans, had involved less of the former ANBU, and more of the man's younger sister. The younger sister, whose birthday it happened to be that day; the first birthday she and Neji would have been celebrating as a couple since they started dating a few months earlier. Unfortunately when he had arrived at her house to wish the bun-haired girl a happy birthday, he was intercepted at the front door by the kunoichi's overprotective, overbearing, and overly-annoying, older brother. Before he had even knocked on the door, Koudo had come out to 'greet' the Hyuga.  
_  
Neji had arrived at Tenten's house early in the morning. It was their day off, a gift from Gai who had told the kunoichi to 'enjoy her youth' and celebrate her 'blossoming into womanhood.' Though he had been tempted to show up as soon as the sun rose, the Hyuga had reasoned that since it was their first day off in weeks, Tenten deserved to sleep in on her birthday. Nine-o'clock seemed like a reasonable enough time, and by 8:59am he was already outside her front door._

"Finally!" A boisterous voice had loudly greeted the Hyuga, before a heavy weight suddenly jumped him out of seemingly nowhere. "Guess what pretty boy," Koudo smirked, staring down at the younger man; his arm wrapped around the white-eyed genius. "Today is your lucky day," he declared, pulling the Hyuga along with him, away from the house the older man shared with the bun-haired girl. "You get to spend the whole day with me!"

"Wha-" Neji began protesting, but was quickly cut off.

"Don't worry, we just have to do some decorating at the Hokage tower," Koudo went on, dragging the Hyuga towards said tower. "It shouldn't take too long, and I'll even treat you to lunch."

"But-"

"Don't get the wrong idea though," the older man continued, acting as if he didn't notice the Hyuga's attempts at protesting, or the younger man struggling in his grasp. "I still don't like you, but I promised my Tennie-chan I'd try to get along with you today."

As much as he wanted to continue protesting at that moment, Neji couldn't go against something he knew Tenten wanted. Koudo had only been in the village for a few months, but it had become quite obvious from the start that the two men didn't get along; more so from the older man's side than from Neji's. Still, he knew it bothered Tenten, and if what she wanted for her birthday was for them to get along, who was Neji to argue?

Seeing that the Hyuga had stopped struggling, Koudo released his tight grip around the younger boy's neck and continued walking on ahead of him.

It was only later that Neji discovered Koudo had apparently decided to give Tenten a trip to the spa for her birthday, something which the Hyuga suspected was his way of keeping the young couple apart on her special day. There was nothing he could do about it, but at least he knew Tenten would have fun with the other girls.

"Oi! Pretty boy!" Koudo shouted again, kicking the back of Neji's head as if to get the younger man's attention.

"What?" the prodigy called up in frustration, as well as pain from the less than gentle kick.

They had been at it for hours already, setting up tables, chairs, flower decorations, and now ropes of balloons.

Though Koudo had insisted Tenten would be spending the whole day at the spa, Neji suspected the decorating was for a birthday party that the former ANBU simply didn't intend to invite the Hyuga to. No, actually Neji was sure he would be invited, but not until the last minute, after being tortured by the older man and made to believe that in fact this decorating was for the Hokage's upcoming meeting with the village's major clan heads like Koudo claimed. Why they would need balloons though, Neji couldn't fathom, but according to Koudo they didn't, he just thought it would look more festive that way and maybe inspire the 'old farts' to 'pull their heads out of their asses.'

"What's got your panties in a wad?" Koudo asked, as he jumped down from the Hyuga's now sore shoulders.

Choosing to ignore the obvious attempt to rile him up – he was getting pretty used to it anyway – Neji sighed, rubbing his shoulders as he watched the older man head for the rope he had earlier told the Hyuga to get. "Are we finished?"

"Nah," Koudo vigorously shook his head, "but I did say I'd treat you to lunch."

As reluctant as he was to spend any more time with the older man, especially since Koudo had spent the better part of the morning teasing, taunting, and all around abusing him, Neji agreed to the lunch and accompanied the man to eat at Ichiraku. It wouldn't have been so bad, even considering the Hyuga didn't much like ramen, if not for the fact that a certain blonde shinobi, whom Koudo actually got along with, none-too-surprisingly happen to be eating lunch there too.

"I'm serious, Naruto," Koudo spoke with his mouth full, grinning at the blonde shinobi to his right, ignoring Neji on his other side. "Just forget about pinky, she's cute, but my Tennie-chan is much cuter!"

If it weren't for the fact that this wasn't the first time Neji had heard of Koudo's preference for Naruto as Tenten's boyfriend, the Hyuga would have been offended. As far as he knew, though, it seemed to be yet another way for the former ANBU to tease him, and not because he seriously felt that way. In fact, Neji was certain even if Koudo did like Naruto, if it were Naruto dating Tenten instead of the Hyuga, it would be the would-be-hokage who'd be suffering at the former ANBU's hands.

"hahaha" Naruto bashfully scratched the back of his head as he laughed uncomfortably. Even someone as dense as the blonde knucklehead could appreciate the awkwardness of being in front of a girl's brother and boyfriend, being told he'd make a much better boyfriend than the other guy. "Yeah, she is, but..." his bright blue eyes darted over to the other man sitting at the counter.

The rest of the lunch pretty much continued on like that, Koudo complimenting Naruto, telling him he wanted a guy with ambition for his precious sister, while basically ignoring Neji until it was time for them to head back to finish their preparations in the ballroom. By sundown, Koudo none-too-gently kicked the Hyuga out of the ballroom and told him to go home.

Sore, and exhausted from his day with the older shinobi, Neji couldn't even put up a fight, heading straight for the Hyuga compound when he remembered the small case with the silver pendant he had brought to give to Tenten that morning was still in his pocket. He wasn't sure when the kunoichi was scheduled to return from her spa-day, but at the very least, Neji wanted her to have the gift before the day ended, so he crossed the village back to her house, hopped up to the kunoichi's second story window, and skillfully let himself in. He quietly walk through the empty room toward her desk where then he placed the red box containing a dragon pendant on top of the only other thing there, an oversized bright pink box covering most of the desk. No doubt, Neji figured it was another gift from the girl's older brother, which he suspected was also the case for the multitude of enormous unopened boxes taking up most of the space in the room.

"Neji!" a surprised gasp called out to the Hyuga from behind.

He quickly spun around, pleasantly surprised to see Tenten standing in the doorway it a pink cocktail dress and strappy white sandals. "Ten..." he smiled warmly. All the earlier exhaustion and soreness he had felt, and the torture and humiliation he'd had to ensure from the kunoichi's older brother, was completely forgotten in the face of her warm presence.

"What are you doing here Neji?" Tenten asked, as she slowly approached him, his eyes never leaving hers. "Shouldn't you be downstairs at Koudo's surprise party?"

"Downstairs?" he asked curiously, furrowing his brow. "Wait... how-"

"It's kind of obvious," Tenten smirked, stopping in front of him, her hand reaching out to grab hold of the box Neji's hand was still covering. "I saw a sign on the front door telling me to use the backdoor, apparently the living room is being repainted, and plus you know Ino, she can't keep a secret," she shrugged, taking the box from under the Hyuga's hand with a '_is this for me?_' "Apparently Koudo had the guys decorating the house and bringing in the music and food since early this morning."

"He did, did he?" Neji sighed, not at all surprised that Koudo had tricked him... again!

Normally with the all-seeing byakugan, it was difficult to fool a Hyuga, but in the few months he had known Koudo, Neji had come to learn that man was more than just a little skilled in the art of deception. Somehow, Koudo seemed to have a knack for using the simplest of things to either utterly confuse, torture, or plain cause trouble for Neji.

"It's beautiful!" Tenten's voice stirred the white-eyed prodigy out of his thoughts. "Thank you so much Neji!" she cheerfully jumped into the startled shinobi's arms. "I love it!"

Neji sighed, wrapping his arms around the bun-haired girl as he smiled back at her. These were the quiet simple moments that made up for the all the insults and harmless (and not so harmless) pranks he constantly had to endure. Just being with her, alone in their happy little world, was worth everything Koudo did to him and more.

He wished this moment could last forever, the two of them alone in each other's arms, quietly enjoying a moment all to themselves; a moment Neji was all too sure would not last nearly as long as he would like, but it didn't really matter, cos even if just for a moment, at least he had gotten to see her today. "Happy birthday Tenten."

* * *

**THE END**

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed it... there was a funny scene I wanted to include but it didn't fit in, so I'm going to draw it instead... keep your eyes open for it on my dA page!


	100. For Years

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto

_**DEDICATION**_ – I dedicate this story, the whole collection in fact, to all of you who have been so kind over the years in sending me messages, reviewing, commenting, drawing pictures, and just being overall the most supportive and encouraging readers a girl could ask for. Thank you ALL so much for this wonderful experience. Even though there have been some less than pleasant experiences, the good ones have far outweighed the bad, and I am so grateful for that. Writing this collection has been so much fun. I hope you all enjoy this story, and I hope you all stick around longer, because I am certainly never going to be done with my love for NEJITEN.

A special thanks to my good friend Stephanie, aka Rikku9314, for proofreading it for me earlier today. I wasn't really sure how I felt about this chapter when I finished but after she gave me the thumbs up I felt much better. She's the best!

* * *

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**FOR YEARS****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

The night was silent, except for a symphony of cicadas playing in the distance, as a tall, lean figure crept stealthily through the darkness of the forest just outside the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Only a fleeting glimmer of white, coming from the glow of a porcelain mask, could be seen in the still black canvas of the night as the man ran at inhuman speeds to reach his destination in time.

Summer had begun only a week earlier, but already the nights were hot and humid. Too hot, in fact, for his liking.

As the lone man landed on the Hokage Monument's now all too familiar sixth head, he gently pushed his suffocating mask aside, grateful for the cool air, high atop the carved mountain. Inhaling deeply, the man closed his eyes and brushed back the long brown strands of hair that softly blew against his pale skin; skin so white it almost rivaled the porcelain mask he had just removed, and was made all the more prominent by the darkness of his clothes.

"You're not really supposed to take those off you know," a deep husky voice called out from behind the long-haired ANBU.

Neji did not turn to face the owner of the voice as he already knew it belonged to the spiky-haired man whom his timid cousin and now clan leader had, against the wishes of the Hyuga Elders, married a few years back. He remained still, his eyes closed as he continued to enjoy the gentle breeze which sadly wasn't doing nearly enough to help cool him down. "Would it make a difference?" he asked, after a moment. He knew it wouldn't, that man's nose was as good as a blood hound's, better even.

"Good point," Kiba chuckled, nodding his head as he approached the Hyuga. "Though I have been fighting off a bit of a cold," he added, sniffing at just the right moment almost as if to reinforce his claim.

Neji turned, eyeing his cousin-in-law skeptically, "I thought idiots never got sick."

There was a brief flash of annoyance in the younger man's eyes, but was quickly replaced by an amused smirk. "Yeah, well goes to show you, I'm a lot smarter than you give me credit for," he boasted, puffing his chest out proudly, thinking that he had actually said something clever.

"Smart enough to catch a cold apparently," the Hyuga replied, smirking triumphantly at the younger man's irritated glare, before returning his mask back to its proper position. As much as he hated to admit it, the dog-boy, as Neji had grown accustomed to referring to the younger man, was right about the mask. They had long since ceased to be boys though, now both in their late twenties. "So did you come just to inform me that you're not as big an idiot as you are?

"Huh?" was Kiba's intelligent reply, before he shook his head roughly, remembering exactly why he had come out searching for the older man. "Nah, Hinata wanted me to invite you and the wifey over tomorrow," he replied. "Well, if you don't already have plans, that is."

"Hn." Neji grunted, acknowledging the request. He didn't think they would have anything planned. The Hyuga's last mission had taken up a full month and he wasn't scheduled to return for at least two more weeks. It was unlikely Tenten would have anticipated his early return. "I'll let her know."

"'Kay," Kiba nodded, turning to leave now that he had accomplished his job, eager to return to his own home, but just as he was about to leap off the monument and head toward the Hyuga compound, he turned back to face Neji. "Oh, and by the way, Happy-" he began, before a dozen sharp kunai came hurdling towards him, abruptly cutting him off as he focused on dodging the steal weapons. "Okay, okay," he chuckled amusedly as he looked up at the glaring Hyuga. "Yeah, I know, I know, tradition," Kiba smirked, getting back up to his feet and brushing himself off. "Good to have you back buddy," he added, as he smacked Neji's shoulder few times before sprinting off the mountain, shaking his head and snickering as he headed for home.

Neji rolled his eyes as he watched the younger man go, but a small smirk couldn't help spread upon his lips. For a brief moment he wondered when exactly the two of them had gotten so close. Was it close? They usually ended up at each other's throats, though generally it was Neji who ended up angered, while the Inuzuka laughed like the idiot that he was. Nevertheless, it was certainly a far cry from where they had originally started, one indifferent to the other and the other hateful and angry. Yes, they had definitely come a long way.

"Speaking of long ways…" The Hyuga mused to himself as he turned towards the opposite direction in which his canine-loving friend had just run off to. Under his mask he smiled contently, his clan's bloodline-limit fully activated, giving him greater vision than he would have normally. From where he was, his house was still a distance away. To the naked eye, only the giant oak tree that grew in the center of his backyard could be seen over the rooftops of the other houses surrounding it. But to Neji's eyes, he could see everything. He could see his beautiful wife, making her way through the house, turning the lights off in all the rooms and making sure all the doors were locked and secured. He wanted nothing more than to quickly rush home, but he still had to check in at the Hokage's office, and Neji knew that would take some time, as Naruto enjoyed hearing every detail of his shinobi's missions as he had long since been unable to take on missions of his own and often missed the excitement of being a regular ninja. By the time he got out, Neji was sure that Tenten would be fast asleep.

And sure enough, when he finally finished with Naruto and arrived at his house, Neji found all the lights off. Since Naruto had been considerate enough to let the Hyuga off lightly, with promises of a lunch later in the week where he would have to recount every event of his month-long mission, Neji had hoped that perhaps Tenten would still be up reading one of her books. It was a habit she had picked up long ago, unwinding from her long days by reading something for at least an hour before going to bed. Unfortunately that was not the case. But it didn't really bother Neji. He was just happy to be home.

Quietly making his way through the house, stopping quickly to peek into the adjoining rooms before heading towards the master bedroom, Neji at last felt released of the tension of his last mission. He quickly jumped into the shower, cleansing himself of the thin layer of dirt and grime covering his skin, as well as refreshing him of the hot summer air. He toweled his hair dry, entered the dark room, quietly changed in the corner of the room into a light blue pair of pajama pants, tossed the towel on a nearby chair and then silently crossed the room over to the large king sized bed.

As he watched the beautiful woman asleep on the left side of the bed, her trademark buns pulled out, long brown hair scattered about like a pool of brown silk, Neji's eyes shifted to just above her head and the bright red digits of their bedside alarm clock. Twelve o' one it read. A minute past midnight. He smiled, grateful that he had made it in time.

Pulling out the sheets on the right side of the bed, Neji slowly snuck into his side of the bed, trying to create as little movement as possible, so as not to wake his beloved wife. He quickly slipped in, pulling the thin summer sheets over him, and then gently curled up behind Tenten, wrapping his arms around her body.

A small moan escaped her lips as she snuggled up against him, smiling contently in her sleep. A similar smile spread across the lips of her husband as Neji pulled his arms tighter around her, inhaling her scent deeply. He had missed her dearly and was happy to finally be home.

In all his twenty eight years of being it was these tiny moments that made him the happiest.

Tomorrow would be a big day. He knew she would be as happy to see him as he was to see her. And in the morning, when their three children rushed into the bedroom to wake her, they would be equally excited to see their daddy there on that special day. And as always, since the year the two teammates had traversed that line from friendship to lovers, Tenten would be the first...

"Mmm," a tiny moan escaped the kunoichi's lips as she sleepily turned in his arms to face him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she drowsily opened her eyes and looked up to him with that brilliantly beautiful smile of hers. "Happy Birthday Neji."

_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-  
**_**THE END****  
**_**-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-**_

* * *

A/N : And that's it... the fourth year working with this same theme made this oneshot a little tricky for me to do and I got stumped with writers block for while. Then one day at 3am the story just kind of came to me, and you know what, I'm really happy with it. I'm glad that this collection ends the way it started. :)

I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you all for the support in these last FOUR Years (lol get it? Title ;p)... I really appreciate all of your love and support. :D

And once again I just want to thank Stephanie without whom I wouldn't have felt as comfortable posting this and probably would have driven myself mad trying to mess with and rewrite, and totally missed the deadline ;p thanks!


End file.
